Title Building militaries in fragile states : challenges for the United States / Mara E. Karlin

Published Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2018] ©2018

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Description 1 online resource (283 pages) : illustrations Contents Understanding the problem -- Greece: the "will to win" was fruitless without U.S. involvement -- South Vietnam: building a military "American style" -- Lebanon I: "the United States is short of breath" but others are not -- Lebanon II: "the side that won was willing to kill and be killed" -- Findings and implications Summary Combining rigorous academic scholarship with the experience of a senior Pentagon policymaker, Mara E. Karlin explores the key national security issue of our time: how to effectively build partner militaries. Given the complex and complicated global security environment, declining U.S. defense budgets, and an increasingly connected (and often unstable) world, the United States has an ever-deepening interest in strengthening fragile states. Particularly since World War II, it has often chosen to do so by strengthening partner militaries. It will continue to do so, Karlin predicts, given U.S. sensitivity to casualties, a constrained fiscal environment, the nature of modern nationalism, increasing transnational security threats, the proliferation of fragile states, and limits on U.S. public support for military interventions. However, its record of success is thin. While most analyses of these programs focus on training and equipment, Building Militaries in Fragile States argues that this approach is misguided. Instead, given the nature of a fragile state, Karlin homes in on the outsized roles played by two key actors: the U.S. military and unhelpful external actors. With a rich comparative case-study approach that spans Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Karlin unearths provocative findings that suggest the traditional way of working with foreign militaries needs to be rethought. Benefiting from the practical eye of an experienced national security official, her results-based exploration suggests new and meaningful findings for building partner militaries in fragile states Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-271) and index Notes Print version record Subject Security Assistance Program. Military assistance, American -- Evaluation Military assistance, American -- Greece -- Evaluation Military assistance, American -- Vietnam (Republic) -- Evaluation Military assistance, American -- Lebanon -- Evaluation HISTORY -- Military -- Other. TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Military Science. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- International Relations -- Arms Control. Diplomatic relations Military assistance, American -- Evaluation Security Assistance Program SUBJECT United States -- Foreign relations -- 20th century. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140089 Subject Greece Lebanon United States Vietnam (Republic) Form Electronic book ISBN 9780812294132 0812294130

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