POLI 360 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Blitzkrieg, John Mearsheimer, Decisive Victory

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 360
• Professor: T V Paul

Document Summary

Midterm makeup exam: wed, oct. 26 (1400-1500) lea 324b. Strategies very much connected to whether deterrence works or not. Of success is low and attendant cost is high. Hard to achieve: leaders can assume that cost will not be that high and can achieve with ltd. Not good for deterrence b/c cost of war not totally being taken into account. Casualties, expenses of mobilizing, deploying and maintaining forces) Leaders make assessment b/o capabilities of selves and adversaries. Sufficient to judge whether country goes to war or not: will to fight, intentions, raw mil. Strategy: how it is assessed by other side, can make mistakes assuming other side approach one way (problem creator) Deterrence strengthened if leaders believe. that its going to be an attrition war then may not start war. Us --> lt conflict, when assume st affair: most wars not fought using blitzkrieg though (crit. Very few wars in which blitzkrieg-type warfare used.