The deterrence mindset – and I believe there is such a mindset to account for in Washington – consists of instilling fear through threats on one hand and imposing a serious ‘cost-benefit analysis’ on the other hand. Moreover, deterrence is part and parcel of the basic relationship between military action and the ultimate goals of … Continue reading The Deterrence Mindset
Tag: ukraine
Conventional Deterrence
It follows that if détente and peaceful coexistence never lasts, the focus and the strategy by default becomes one of “containment” and “deterrence” vis-à-vis Russian aggression and expansion. In turn, one can bank on a policy or strategy of deterrence only if the opposite side espouses “fear of the consequences” of aggression and expansion. As … Continue reading Conventional Deterrence
Détente and its Discontents
In a sense, nuclear weapons and the relative equilibrium in terms of advanced technology between Washington and Moscow renders decision and strategy as moot, in the sense that there are only two strategic options: peace or total war. As we see, peace was never an option. Thus, the only option left is total war. But … Continue reading Détente and its Discontents
We Will Bury You
Hence, one can only guess as to what Russia is trying to achieve through its war with Ukraine given what we have stated already. But of course, certain scholars and theorists have already taken a shot at it. As Samuel Huntington argued, Russia is seeking to create a “civilizational bloc” equivalent to that of NATO … Continue reading We Will Bury You
The Price of Peace
War in Europe eclipses and overshadows all other considerations and priorities at the moment, for perhaps two major reasons. One is that Donald Trump got elected to end the war. And two, the dynamics and the nature of the war in Europe are what necessitate the focus that the war is now getting, in the … Continue reading The Price of Peace