Cutting Losses: Ending Limited Interventions
11.12.2013 at 09:14pm
Cutting Losses: Ending Limited Interventions by David C. Brooks, Parameters.
Abstract: This article compares three limited interventions-the Bay of Pigs (1961), Beirut (1983), and Mogadishu (1992-93). Using Clausewitz's idea that the pursuit of military victory must be linked to a "political object," this essay focuses on the "retreat skill set" that allowed Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton to conclude interventions whose costs had outrun potential benefits. These interventions can instruct today's strategic leaders, who will confront terrorist movements located in the failed states and mega-cities of the 21st century.
