51. The Future of Force and U.S. National Security Strategy
- Author
-
Richard K. Betts
- Subjects
National security ,Sociology and Political Science ,business.industry ,Al qaeda ,Power (social and political) ,Politics ,Political economy ,Political Science and International Relations ,Development economics ,Economics ,business ,Safety Research ,Administration (government) ,Use of force - Abstract
What are the likely trends in the use of force in world politics in the coming 15 years, and how will they relate to U.S. national security policy? Most places in which the United States enters combat will be ones that planners do not now anticipate, because when and where force is used will depend on local crises that the United States cannot control in advance, accumulated lessons from experience, and the particular administration in power in Washington at the time. Limited humanitarian interventions will be frequent, but more often undertaken by other countries than by American forces. Unconventional American counterterror operations will be frequent, since Al Qaeda is unlikely to be neutralized soon. Inter-state conventional wars will be rare, especially since the United States is much more constrained from attacking remaining “rogue” states because of the bad results of the invasion of Iraq and the more complicated political and diplomatic obstacles in regard to Iran and North Korea. Use of ...
- Published
- 2005