POLI 244 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Treaty On The Non-Proliferation Of Nuclear Weapons, Andor Technology, Maginot Line
2 Oct 2015
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Poli244- lecture #8- nuclear weapons and the prospect of war. The strategic functions of military force: defense, deterrence, compellence, swaggering , the defensive use of force. Adversary"s victory is made less likely and more costly. Passive- can be used to dissuade the enemy from attacking as a display of force. Shows that attacking will be more costly than potential for gain. Active- using in order to cause some damage, pulling the trigger". Offensive (first) strikes still can be defensive- if attack is imminent. Maginot line, great wall of china, fortresses of any kind, etc etc etc: the deterrent use of force. Credible threat of retaliation with unacceptable damage. Must be credible in order for deterrence to work. Passive- if you are going to attack me, i am going to punish you . Necessary when dissuasion by defensive forces is weak. Actual use of force is not always necessary, therefore this makes deterrence an appealing option.
