Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 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 on Libya
- 7 1989 Invasion of Panama
- 8 1991 Persian Gulf War
- 9 Bosnia and Kosovo, 1992–1999
- 10 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan
- 11 2003 Invasion of Iraq
- 12 Military Power and Victory
- 13 Conclusions
- Notes
- Index
4 - Foundations of Victory
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 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 on Libya
- 7 1989 Invasion of Panama
- 8 1991 Persian Gulf War
- 9 Bosnia and Kosovo, 1992–1999
- 10 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan
- 11 2003 Invasion of Iraq
- 12 Military Power and Victory
- 13 Conclusions
- Notes
- Index
Summary
The purpose of this study is to develop a pretheoretical framework based on several organizing principles to determine what it means for the state to achieve victory in war. This pretheory is not designed for predictive purposes, to forecast whether victory will occur under specific conditions or when to go to war. That said, this chapter discusses what constitutes a pretheory of victory and to what practical and conceptual uses it can be put. It begins with an examination of the language of victory, to define as precisely as possible the origins of the word “victory.” It then explores what a theory is and should accomplish, and proceeds to define what it means to have a pretheory of victory, to explain what such ideas contribute to understanding victory, and to outline the components of a pretheory. Subsequent chapters apply this pretheory of victory to various wars fought by the United States, including six wars from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
LANGUAGE OF VICTORY
This chapter begins with a systematic search for a definition of “victory.” Although the word is routinely used to describe the successful outcome of political, social, and economic events, this study focuses on cases that pertain directly to the realm of military strategy. As this review of the various meanings of “victory” in the context of strategy shows, its principal attribute is that it is associated with a wide range of outcomes of military actions and wars.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Victory in WarFoundations of Modern Military Policy, pp. 83 - 103Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006