Offense, Defense, and War

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Offence-defence theory argues that the relative ease of offence and defence varies in international politics. When the offence has the advantage, military conquest becomes easier and war is more likely. When the defence has the advantage, the opposite is more likely. The balance between offence and defence depends on geography, technology, and other factors. This theory, and the body of related theories, has generated much debate and research over the past 25 years. This collection presents a comprehensive overview of offence-defence theory. It includes contending views on the theory and some of the most recent attempts to refine and test it.

Reviews

"Offense-defense theory and the debates it spawned were a major step forward in the field of international politics. They brought together the study of diplomatic and military history; military strategy, operations and technology; civil-military relations; and realist international relations theory. Whether or not one accepts the findings of the theory's key advocates, it changed fundamentally the intellectual foundations of the international relations field, and what it means to be a scholar of the causes of war. This collection includes key works by most of the three generations of scholars who have contributed to this important development."--Barry R. Posen, Ford International Professor of Political Science, Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology " Offense, Defense, and War is sure to be an invaluable book for students of international politics. It contains virtually all of the key works on offense-defense theory, a truly important set of ideas about how states behave toward each other." John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

Author Bio

Michael E. Brown is Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Owen Cot is Associate Director of the MIT Security Studies Program and Editor of the journal International Security. Sean M. Lynn-Jones is Editor of International Security, the International Security Program's quarterly journal. He is also series editor of the Belfer Center Studies in International Security, the Program's book series that is published by MIT Press. Steven E. Miller is director of the International Security Program at the Belfer Center.