Mission Revolution

The U.S. Military and Stability Operations

Nonfiction, History, Military, Strategy, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Mission Revolution by Jennifer Taw, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jennifer Taw ISBN: 9780231526821
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: September 18, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Jennifer Taw
ISBN: 9780231526821
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: September 18, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Defined as operations other than war, stability operations can include peacekeeping activities, population control, and counternarcotics efforts, and for the entire history of the United States military, they have been considered a dangerous distraction if not an outright drain on combat resources. Yet in 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense reversed its stance on these practices, a dramatic shift in the mission of the armed forces and their role in foreign and domestic affairs. With the elevation of stability operations, the job of the American armed forces is no longer just to win battles but to create a controlled, nonviolent space for political negotiations and accord. Yet rather than produce revolutionary outcomes, stability operations have resulted in a large-scale mission creep with harmful practical and strategic consequences.

Jennifer Morrison Taw examines the military's sudden embrace of stability operations and its implications for American foreign policy and war. Through a detailed examination of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, changes in U.S. military doctrine, adaptations in force preparation, and the political dynamics behind this new stance, Taw connects the preference for stability operations to the far-reaching, overly ambitious American preoccupation with managing international stability. She also shows how domestic politics have reduced civilian agencies' capabilities while fostering an unhealthy overreliance on the military. Introducing new concepts such as securitized instability and institutional privileging, Taw builds a framework for understanding and analyzing the expansion of the American armed forces' responsibilities in an ever-changing security landscape.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Defined as operations other than war, stability operations can include peacekeeping activities, population control, and counternarcotics efforts, and for the entire history of the United States military, they have been considered a dangerous distraction if not an outright drain on combat resources. Yet in 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense reversed its stance on these practices, a dramatic shift in the mission of the armed forces and their role in foreign and domestic affairs. With the elevation of stability operations, the job of the American armed forces is no longer just to win battles but to create a controlled, nonviolent space for political negotiations and accord. Yet rather than produce revolutionary outcomes, stability operations have resulted in a large-scale mission creep with harmful practical and strategic consequences.

Jennifer Morrison Taw examines the military's sudden embrace of stability operations and its implications for American foreign policy and war. Through a detailed examination of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, changes in U.S. military doctrine, adaptations in force preparation, and the political dynamics behind this new stance, Taw connects the preference for stability operations to the far-reaching, overly ambitious American preoccupation with managing international stability. She also shows how domestic politics have reduced civilian agencies' capabilities while fostering an unhealthy overreliance on the military. Introducing new concepts such as securitized instability and institutional privileging, Taw builds a framework for understanding and analyzing the expansion of the American armed forces' responsibilities in an ever-changing security landscape.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Film and the Natural Environment by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Hubert Harrison by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in Modern Times by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Queer Beauty by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Neurogastronomy by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Theos Bernard, the White Lama by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book The Tale of Genji by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book China by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Trekking Through History by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book The Columbia Companion to American History on Film by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Protection Amid Chaos by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Terror, Religion, and Liberal Thought by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Killing the Moonlight by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Moments of Uncertainty in Therapeutic Practice by Jennifer Taw
Cover of the book Writing Resistance by Jennifer Taw
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy