Pivotal Deterrence: Third-Party Statecraft and the Pursuit of Peace (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)

Rating:
Summary: A new take on deterrence theory
Review:
Timothy Crawford's unique perspective on deterrence theory has bridged a long-neglected gap in the literature.

Skillfully illustrating the weaknesses of traditional extended deterrence, "Pivotal Deterrence" takes the lead in explaining his theory in the context of several key factors in international security, including strategic ambiguity, alignments, threats, alliances, and revisionism, to name but a few.

To demonstrate one his assertions on allignment options, the book illustrates several excellent cases: Germany v. Russia and Austria-Hungary, Britain v. France and Germany, United States v. Turkey and Greece, and United States v. India and Pakistan. These cases clearly show the impact of his theory, providing food for thought on other crises; past, future, and present.

Also touching on the issues of India-Pakistan and China-Taiwan, this is an excellent read that would be extremely valuable to anyone in the field of international relations or political science who wants to understand the complexities and nuances of deterrence in the modern world.

Rating:
Summary: Winner of the 2003 Edgar S. Furniss Book Award
Review: This outstanding book won the 2003 Edgar S. Furniss Book Award from the Mershon Center for International Security at The Ohio State University. The award is presented each year to an author whose first book makes an oustanding contribution to the field of international security studies.