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Advocates of a related series of ideas termed as "network centric warfare," "rapid decisive operations," and "effects based operations," see the combination of long-range precision strike, information dominance, and networked information technologies as elements changing the nature of war, from a series of sequenced battles and campaigns towards a continuous battle of shock and dislocation. However, this emphasis on the importance of time and speediness ignores the reality that time is a culturally dependent conception that has differing implications for different cultures. This paper explores cultural interpretations of time and their influence on military strategy. Analyzing national security strategy and military doctrine, this paper suggests that the U.S. conception of time leads to an overly offensive national strategy. This paper offers a vignette from the Cuban Missile Crisis to demonstrate how to escape the offensively oriented time conception. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the role of the UN Charter's prohibition of force in legitimating the exercise of power and in creating a likelihood of resistance against major powers that violate it. The paper includes large-n tests that assess the level of dissent within the Security Council and the responses of other major powers following a major power's use of armed force. It also includes a brief case study examining US legal argument and their impact on decision-making processes and outcomes during the Cuban Missile Crisis. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]