Chapter 9 Flashcards
Arms transfers: pros
- Political support of the recipient government or rebel group
- Serves as a way to further desired cooperation with another government
- National economic benefit
Arms transfers: cons
- Cost, LDCs spend too much on weapons, and focus less on funding economic development or social programs
- Can lead to increased violence
- May result in a country having to face its own weapons
Arms limitations
set numerical restrictions, research and development restrictions, deployment restrictions, categorical restrictions, and transfer restrictions
Are arms dealers hypocrtical?
Yes, this is hypocritical by arms dealers, such as the United States, regularly call on other countries to embargo weapons sales to countries that abuse human rights. It’s hard to persuade others not to do what you are doing.
Types of WMDs
- Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
- Chemical weapons are the most prevalent, they are easy and inexpensive to produce.
- The 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) banned all production, possession, and use of biological weapons. They still pose a serious threat, countries are still engaging and experimenting with these weapons.
Arsenals
- A collection of weapons and military equipment stored by a country, person, or group.
- The United States and Russia have the largest amount of nuclear weapons.
Deterrence
-Persuading an opponent not to attack by having enough forces to disable the attack and/or launch a punishing counterattack.
- Relies on two factors:
1) Capability- effective deterrence requires that even if you are attacked you must be able to preserve enough strength to retaliate powerfully.
2) Credibility- an opponent must also believe that you can and will use your weapons if attacked.
Containment
A policy during the Cold War designed to help stop the spread of communism.
MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction)
- Advocates would base deterrence exclusively on having the ability and will to deliver a devastating counter strike.
- Believes that deterrence is best achieved if each nuclear power’s capabilities include a sufficient number of weapons that are capable of surviving as nuclear attack by an opponent and then delivering a second-strike retaliatory attack that will destroy that opponent.
NUT (Nuclear Utilization Theory)
- An alternative approach to deterrence, its advocates contend that the MAD strategy is a crazy gamble because it relies on rationality and clear-sightedness when, in reality, there are other scenarios that could lead to nuclear war.
- NUT supporters prefer to base deterrence partly on deterrence through damage denial, or limitation.
Insecurity. Is it a natural human response?
- Yes, insecurity is a natural human response. Humans are animals with instinctual behaviors such as territoriality. Human aggression can stem from stress, anxiety, or frustration. This is something we deal with on a daily basis.
- Leaders attempt to be strong can show whether they are a risk taker or more cautious.
How has war changed? Power to defeat vs power to hurt
The nature of war has changed as a result of technological advancements, it’s easier to kill now. Weapons are more efficient which has increased the intensity of wars.
Power to defeat
The power to defeat is the traditional goal, but things have changed. We are now in a system in which asymmetrical warfare and the power to hurt is increasingly important.
Power to hurt
The power to hurt is the ability for a terrorist organization to hurt policy/innocence, to transgress/transmit a message/long standing traditions/culture, etc.
Defensive warfare
One of the causes that justify war; a war where at least one nation is mainly trying to defend itself from another, as opposed to a war where both sides are trying to invade and conquer each other.
