Conventional Deterrence (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) [Paperback]

John J. Mearsheimer (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr (September 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801493463
• ISBN-13: 978-0801493461
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Military

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very good definition of conventional war strategies, June 30, 2005

By 

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conventional Deterrence (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Paperback)

This is a good book that clearly defines three modes of conventional war: 1) limited territiorial engagments for border regions and disputed territiories (e.g. the Franco-German disputes over Alsace-Lorriane); 2) total wars of attrition, in which entire industrial economies are mobilized over an extended front (e.g. WWI); 3) the blitzkrieg, in which supply lines and communications are cut so that the entire structure of an enemy crumbles and can be quickly overrun (e.g. WWII). As far as it goes, this is very interesting and brilliantly described. However, it does not cover la guerre subversive, or guerilla wars, as we saw in Vietnam and are seeing today in Irak with the suicide bombers. While this might be called a war of attrition, it does not really fit into the framework that Mearsheimer presented, as the country is already occupied and there is no front. While I enjoyed the analysis of the three types above, what I was looking for was the uncovered type. Nonethless, this is an excellent book and well worth the read.

Recommended.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About This Book (and Table of Contents), April 15, 2009

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conventional Deterrence (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Hardcover)

About the 1983 first edition hardcover (ISBN 0801415691)...

Cornell University Press, hardcover with dustjacket, cloth over hardback boards with a sewn binding. 296 pp. Indexed. Over 50 pp of bibliographic and narrative End Notes. 17 p Bibliography.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction

Contentional Deterrence

The Allied Decision Not to Attack Germany, March 1939-May 1940
The German Decision to Attack in the West, 1939-1940

Conventional Deterrence and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
The Prospects for Contentional Deterrence in Central Europe
Precision-Guided Munitions and Conventional Deterrence

Conclusion

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mearsheimer is the master, November 15, 2004

By 

Grant F. Smith (Key Biscayne, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conventional Deterrence (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Hardcover)

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on this, you'll truly understand what conventional deterrence is from a key thought leader.