Rethinking the relevance of self-deterrence

Self-deterrence is critically understudied in deterrence theory. Similarly, deterrence practitioners prefer to focus on adversaries’ threats rather than seeking to account for the full scope of fears influencing the decision calculus of policymakers. Through historical case studies, this article ide...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Michaels, Jeffrey H.
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/61020
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/61020
http://dx.doi.org/10.55540/0031-1723.3275
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Deterrence
Self-deterrence
Chemical weapons
Nuclear weapons
Decision making
Descrição
Resumo:Self-deterrence is critically understudied in deterrence theory. Similarly, deterrence practitioners prefer to focus on adversaries’ threats rather than seeking to account for the full scope of fears influencing the decision calculus of policymakers. Through historical case studies, this article identifies where self-deterrence has occurred, highlights the benefits of incorporating the concept in future strategic planning and intelligence assessments, and recommends that policymakers, strategists, and analysts acknowledge self-deterrence as an important factor when preparing for future wars.