"With a forward by Peter R. Lavoy"--Cover. Includes bibliographical references (p. [319]-334) and index.
Contents:
Before the bomb : Brodie's early thoughts on war and history -- After the A-bomb : restoring order in the age of absolute war -- After the H-bomb: preserving order in the age of apocalyptic war -- Rethinking the unthinkable : new thinking on escalation and limited war -- Clausewitz for America : reuniting war and politics in the nuclear age.
Summary:
"Bernard Brodie (1910-1978) was a leading 20th century theorist and philosopher of war. A key architect of American nuclear strategy, Brodie was one of the first civilian defense intellectuals to cross over into the military world. State of Doom explores Brodie's evolution as a theorist and his response to the technological innovations that transformed warfare from WWII to the Vietnam War. It situates his theoretical development within the classical theories of Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), as Brodie came to be known as 'America's Clausewitz.' While his first influential works focused on naval strategy, his most lasting impact came within the field of nuclear strategic thinking. Brodie helped conceptualize America's strategy of deterrence, later taking into account America's loss of nuclear monopoly, thermonuclear weapons, and intercontinental missiles. This in-depth exploration of Brodie's strategic and philosophical response to the nuclear age and of his effort to reconcile Clausewitz's theories to the new challenges of the nuclear era will make this book a must read to anyone in strategic studies, international relations, and philosophy of war"--Publisher's website, Mar. 1, 2012.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.