Through A Glass Darkly

Cimbala shows why the prevention, management, and concluding of war all require an understanding of the subjective aspects of decision making as well as the hardware and tactics of military operations. A review of past cases of U.S. security policy decision making and a preview of some future problems are combined to distill important lessons about coping with conflict in the post-Cold War world.

These lessons include the awareness that some conflicts are unnecessarily provoked or prolonged on account of the gap between the perspectives and experiences of civilian policy makers and the views of the armed forces leadership. Another important lesson is that, in resolving or managing conflicts, perceptions, and expectations of leaders filter out alternatives that might have led to preferred solutions had they been attempted in good time. Of particular interest to policy makers, military professionals, and researchers involved with contemporary military issues.

Cimbala shows why the prevention, management and limiting, or ending of war require understanding the subjective aspects of political decision making and the nuances of policy making.

Booknews

Military conflict prevention, management, and termination are likened to sex in the AIDS era, corresponding to abstinence, "safe" sex, and the quest for a vaccine. Combining retrospective with prospective policy analysis, Cimbala (political science, Pennsylvania State U.-Delaware County) studies six cases of conflict: three Cold War events (the Cuban missile crisis, 1983 war scare, and 1991 Gulf War), and present/future cases related to nuclear deterrence and information warfare, nuclear weapons spread, and military operations for "armed persuasion" rather than Chechnya- type devastation (shown in a haunting Internet image). Lessons for theorists, policymakers, and military planners are inferred from these cases. A table summarizes conflict types and weapons. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

STEPHEN J. CIMBALA is Professor of Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University (Delaware County). He is the author of numerous books and articles in professional journals on topics related to national security. His most recent books include The Past and Future of Nuclear Deterrence (Praeger, 1998) and Nuclear Strategy in the Twenty-First Century (Praeger, 2000).