Review Essay: Armed Forces are not only for War

Abstract

In two comprehensive studies published by the Brookings Institution, the historical record of US and Soviet uses of armed forces as political instruments short of war-fighting has been documented. The two studies, although not strictly comparable, provide very valuable sources of similar events, the study on the USA also using an interesting technique for deciding the outcomes. The general overview is complemented with detailed studies of particular cases, as well as a focus on some situations where nuclear threats were used. The studies suggest that a more limited American use of force would be advantageous and find that the Soviet Union uses force in a cautious manner. They do not, however, question the wisdom of weapons use, and do not systematically address questions of conflict escalation or conflict resolution. However, as a whole, the studies are a most important contribution to peace research.