PSCI 3123 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Hard Power
24 Feb 2017
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Studying a single war vs. studying wars in general. Key assumptions : there is an underlying similarity to all wars, logic of war; wars are non-accidental. Goals of studying war : to explain why the war occurred, to predict wars and their outcomes, to figure out how we can prevent war. Obstacles to studying war : philosophy of science issues, the precarious nature of causation. There are alternate triggers to war, one factor alone cannot explain the cause of war. A fire can be started in multiple ways, such as dropping a burning match, leaving a gas stove on, or using a lighter. The iranian war, there could be multiple causes of the war including international relations with the country: policy substitutability. Practical problems : leaders are reactive, knowing causes leads us to adjust our strategy when thinking about war, a leader has the power to start or stop a war. Concepts regarding war may be difficult to measure: ex.
