Publication

This report evaluates the use of non-lethal warfare as a tool for achieving US foreign or security policy objectives. The author details how the US approach to international conflicts in the post-Cold War period has always been affected by the capability of the United States to quell disturbances by diplomatic, economic, or military means. The report details how the US has seen its options limited to classic diplomatic table-thumping and indiscriminate economic sanctions on the one hand, and major military intervention on the other hand. An effective middle option may prove to be very valuable in the future. The author describes how the possibility of non-lethal warfare could lend weight to US crisis diplomacy and offer new capabilities for pressuring adversaries or fighting wars with minimal loss of life.