11 - THE DIVERSIFICATION OF WARFARE: ISSUES AND ATTITUDES IN THE CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

Summary

The blessings of peace which mankind enjoys today do not come from the gods. They are the concrete result of the staunch resistance of the peace forces to attempts to unleash nuclear war, as a result of the growing power of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries.

Mikhail Suslov, 1964

All wars that are progressive are just, and all wars that impede progress are unjust … Not only do we Communists not oppose just wars, we actively participate in them.

Mao Tse-tung, 1938

Bear in mind that we had … a monopoly on nuclear weapons for some years and never used them. And that is … widely known to the Soviets, that we would never launch a first strike … And all of their attacks, and all of their preparations – I should say, and all of their acquisitions in the military field in the last few years – have been offensive in character.

Caspar Weinberger, 1983

As the balance between costs, risks, and advantages has shifted with the development of weapons of mass destruction, the menu of policy alternatives to war has expanded. For most contemporary governments, the choice is no longer between diplomacy and war. Many other instruments of persuasion, leverage, and/or control exist. The techniques of subversion perfected by the Nazis in the interwar period and emulated subsequently by most of the great powers and some minor ones as well are available.