Volume 13 Issue 3 - Fall 2019 Published Aug. 27, 2019 Strategic Studies Quarterly, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL POLICY FORUM Why De-escalation Is Bad Policy W. Michael Guillot Has de-escalation become the goal of US power and the default position to such an extent that many policy makers, advisors, and pundits are self-deterred by the thought of military escalation? Comment on Article FEATURE ARTICLE Realism, Idealism, Deterrence, and Disarmament Keith B. Payne Did the tranquility of the immediate post–Cold War period lead to optimism that no longer exists, and could premature abandoning of nuclear deterrence unintentionally precipitate its failure? Comment on Article PERSPECTIVES The Shadow of Exit from NATO John M. Schuessler and Joshua R. Shifrinson Historically, US alliance relations have been characterized by more uncertainty—and less restraint and reassurance; but is NATO, and the US broader alliance network, robust enough to survive? Comment on Article The Belt and Road Initiative: Insights from China's Backyard Terry Mobley If China’s BRI-related actions represent a strategic effort to improve its diplomatic, economic, and security interests, what US actions are required to compete in the Asia-Pacific? Comment on Article A New Defense Strategy Requires a New Round of BRAC Frederico Bartels Should Congress recognize the inherent importance of assessing the defense infrastructure when defense strategy changes and link a new round of BRAC to the release of a new defense strategy? Comment on Article General Nuclear Compellence: The State, Allies, and Adversaries Nicholas D. Anderson, Alexandre Debs, and Nuno P. Monteiro Will possession of nuclear weapons give a new nuclear weapons state greater ability to compel others by threatening nuclear escalation—even outside a crisis situation? Comment on Article Cyber Operations as Imperfect Tools of Escalation Erica D. Borghard and Shawn W. Lonergan Are the risks of cyber escalation exaggerated and overblown or if cyberspace is in fact an environment that generates severe escalation risks, why has cyber escalation not yet occurred? Comment on Article BOOK REVIEWS Strategic Cyber Deterrence: The Active Cyber Defense Option by Scott Jasper Reviewed by Stephen Bucci The book Strategic Cyber Deterrence: The Active Cyber Option is particularly relevant today in the face of the continuing challenges for America from the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, and the North Koreans. While many feel cyber deterrence is unattainable, Professor Scott Jasper of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, shows quite clearly that we can in fact get there, if we open our intellectual aperture. This is a subject of ever-increasing relevance to the physical and digital security of the nation, as well as America’s wider national interests. The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy: Why Strategic Superiority Matters by Matthew Kroenig Reviewed by Todd C. Robinson In 1984 Robert Jervis published a wide-ranging critique of American nuclear strategy entitled The Illogic of American Nuclear Strategy, in which he argued that much of the thinking by nuclear strategists and decision makers within the US federal government had, over the previous decades, been based on a flawed understanding of the nature of both nuclear deterrence and strategic stability. He suggested that the United States need only possess the ability to retaliate against the Soviets to deter them from launching a surprise attack on the United States or its allies. China's Future by David Shambaugh Reviewed by Tunchinmang Langel Adam N. Stulberg and Lawrence Rubin discuss the Great Power competitions and regional rivalries of today. The concept of strategic stability remains a touchstone for scholars and policy makers attempting to understand the complex role played by nuclear weapons in contemporary international affairs. But it also remains devilishly difficult to define, negotiate, and implement between today’s nuclear rivals. DOWNLOAD FULL EDITION
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