Description: By stationing its military forces in a distant region of the world, can a great power hope to "shape" the peacetime political development of that region? In Presence, Prevention and Persuasion contributing scholars examine six historical periods in which British, American, and...
Review Quotes:
"Military power is meant to achieve a political outcome. This book proposes the basic conditions necessary to answer the question: how can the presence of military force shape a peacetime political environment? Experts study six cases, and Professor Rhodes draws their conclusions together in a brilliant and most instructive set of propositions that carry profound implications for American policy-makers and will be of great value to all students of political and military affairs." --George W. Baer, Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Maritime Strategy, U. S. Naval War College
"In a study that could not be more timely, Edward Rhodes and his colleagues have examined little known but important historical cases to illuminate the ability - and the limits - of the major powers' military presence to shape regional politics." --Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations, Columbia University "Careful case studies of Britain, France, and the U.S. indicate that power projection is an uncertain instrument. Success depends on coherent strategies, political presence, good intelligence, sensitivity to domestic constraints, and considerable prudence. If only those responsible for American policy in the Middle East had read and assimilated the lessons of this book!" --Richard Ned Lebow, James O. Freedman, Presidential Professor of Government, Dartmouth College "How can a great power affect political developments in a region? In this important historical study, Rhodes and his colleagues demonstrate that by maintaining a peacetime military presence in a region, a great power can shape that region's political evolution to serve its interests. This study yields valuable benchmarks for gauging the role that America's overseas military presence plays in today's world...." --Robert J. Art, Brandeis University "How can a great power affect political developments in a region? In this important historical study, Rhodes and his colleagues demonstrate that by maintaining a peacetime military presence in a region, a great power can shape that region's political evolution to serve its interests. This study yields valuable benchmarks for gauging the role that America's overseasmilitary presence plays in today's world." --Robert J. Art, Brandeis University