Victory in War
Foundations of Modern Military Policy

This book explores the historical origins of victory.

William C. Martel (Author)

9780521859561, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 December 2006

448 pages
23.4 x 15.6 x 2.9 cm, 0.86 kg

"William C. Martel is to be congratulated for taking on such a controversial yet vital topic, and admired for the sheer ambition of his endeavour[...]this book is to be recommended for provoking thought on this matter."
-Theo Farrell, King's College London, The International History Review

For millennia, policymakers and statesmen have grappled with questions about the concept of victory in war. How long does it take to achieve victory and how do we know when victory is achieved? And, as highlighted by the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, is it possible to win a war and yet lose the peace? The premise of this book is that we do not have a modern theory about victory and that, in order to answer these questions, we need one. This book explores historical definitions of victory, how victory has evolved, and how it has been implemented in war. It also subsequently develops the intellectual foundations of a modern pre-theory of victory, and discusses the military instruments necessary for victory in the twenty-first century using case studies that include US military intervention in Panama, Libya, Persian Gulf War, Bosnia/Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

1. Introduction
2. Historical origins of victory
3. Modern origins of victory
4. Foundations of victory
5. America's theory of victory
6. 1986 raid against Libya
7. 1989 Invasion of Panama
8. 1991 Persian Gulf War
9. Bosnia and Kosovo, 1992–9
10. 2001 invasion of Afghanistan
11. 2003 invasion of Iraq
12. Military power and victory
13. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Educational: History [YQH], Settlement of international disputes [LBH], Public international law [LBB]