Militarization and War (Initiatives in Strategic Studies: Issues and Policies) [Hardcover]

Julian Schofield (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1403979294 | ISBN-13: 978-1403979292 | Publication Date: June 26, 2007 | Edition: First Edition

There is a consensus, captured by proponents of militarism theory, that militaries seek wars to enhance their institutional influence, and that they promote expansionist policies because it is in line with their training. However, most military-run states, and those regimes influenced by their militaries, termed militarized regimes, spend much of their time at peace. This book questions the underlying logic of the militarist explanation and seeks to propose a more tragic argument based on the distorting impact of military indoctrination and command practices on civil government institutions. The theory is applied to seven case studies of the periods leading up to the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan Wars, the 1956, 1967, and 1973 Arab Israeli Wars, the 1969-75 Iran-Iraq border conflict, and the 1979 Iraqi invasion of Iran.
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Militarization and War is an important work in the field of security studies.  This book successfully clarifies and tests prominent efforts among scholars of military sociology and foreign policy to theorize about the interplay of militarization, militarism and war.  Two general propositions about militarization, concerning its pernicious effects on war proneness and cognitive bias, are confirmed.  Authoritative case studies on Pakistan, India, Israel, Egypt, Iran and Iraq bring a wealth of evidence to bear on the questions at hand.  Among the more specific effects confirmed for militarization are hyper-sensitivity to windows of opportunity and a tendency to escalate disputes.  Just as interesting is the generally mixed performance for the presumed effects of militarism; for example, the cases suggest that militaries neither seek territorial aggrandizement nor attack at the height of their relative power.  In sum, this book is a must-read for students of security studies and civil-military relations in particular and international relations in general." 
--Patrick James, Director, Center for International Studies, USC

 

"In this book, Julian Schofield explores a neglected question in the studies on war: under what conditions do militaries pursue war-like policies? He cleverly unpacks the military-war nexus while offering some counter-intuitive arguments and testable hypotheses for further analysis. The findings have serious implications for the study of civil-military relations, conflict initiation and regional security, especially in South Asia and the Middle East."
--T.V. Paul, James McGill Professor of International Relations, McGill
University, Montreal, Canada

 

 

About the Author

Julian Schofield is Assistant Professor of Political Science, Concordia University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403979294
• ISBN-13: 978-1403979292
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,383,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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