U.S. Forces: Challenges Ahead

Peacekeeping, Peacemaking and Peace-Enforcement: The U.S. Role in the New International Order

“…6 What-if anything-should be done about ethno-religious fighting in Bosnia or Nagorno-Karabakh? How much do we care about the Tamiis in Sri Lanka?…”

“…How might the situation that we seek to alter, once it is altered by force, develop further, and what might be the consequences?"' 52 All are good questions to ask about potential peace-enforcement missions. One might add a question about short-term versus long-term objectives achievement.…”

The Bifurcation of the Two Worlds: assessing the gap between internationals and locals in state-building processes

“…It also presents interesting parallels with the Clausewitzian logic, for which war is an act of force, the application of which knows no logical limit by virtue of its escalatory dynamics. 12 One of the best examples of the 'more is better' framework is the widely quoted RAND study on US-led state-building operations, directed by Dobbins et al The study identifies five case studies (Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan), and contrasts these with the historic cases of Germany and Japan, which have according to them 'set a standard for postconflict nation-building that has not since been equalled'. Their conclusion is that a high level of economic assistance and high numbers of troops deployed for a long time were crucial to the success of the two historic operations and can explain why recent operations have shown little success.…”

The 2002 U.S. National Security Strategy: A New Use-of-Force Doctrine

“…Forces: Challenges Ahead" was not specifically a use-of-force treatise. 7 It was, rather, his forecast of the types of missions our nation would require of its armed forces and the capabilities necessary to accomplish those missions. In it, he raised the issue of use-of-force only as part of his larger discussion on which kinds of future missions our forces would have to execute.…”

“…To set one up is dangerous." 10 The apparent inconsistency is that, immediately following this criticism of principles and doctrine, he proceeds to provide a set of principles on if and how to use force. The resolution of this contradiction is that when Powell uses the terms "principles"…”