Cimbala analyses "military persuasion" - the art of using armed force to support diplomacy, deterrence, crisis management, unconventional conflicts, peace operations and other military activities just short of major conventional war.

As Cimbala shows in his various case studies, armed forces are used most of the time for coercion, not for mass destruction. Yet much professional military thinking, expert lay opinion, and U.S. government analysis presupposes that there is a clear dividing line between all-out peace and all-out war. In addition, U.S. political culture is insensitive to the requirement for matching the political objective to the military means available, as opposed to clamoring for a psychologically satisfying form of "victory." Despite these apparent obstacles, Cimbala maintains that the United States must master military persuasion because its resources for defense are limited and its commitments are ubiquitous. This book will be of particular interest to scholars, students, and professionals involved with defense, security, and foreign policy studies.

The Idea of Military Persuasion
Military Persuasion: The Idea and Some Examples
Military Persuasion and Psychological Strategy
Technology and Deterrence in Military Persuasion
Examples from the Past
Military Persuasion in the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military Persuasion in Desert Storm
Intelligence and Military Persuasion: The 1983 "War Scare"
Future Problems
Friction and Nuclear Deterrence
Military Persuasion and Small Wars
Nuclear Weapons and Cyber War: Persuasive Deadlock?
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.