The history of warfare went through a drastic shift following the Second World War. Nation states no longer involved themselves in armed conflict with other states of equal or similar status in the global arena. An article written by Dominic Tierney, an associate professor of political science at Swarthmore College, concedes that since the Second World War, “the United States has experienced little except military stalemate and loss—precisely because it’s a superpower in a more peaceful world.” His argument holds validity but lacks sufficient evidence in the proper context to support his argument. America as a nation has stopped winning wars because the United States Government (USG) has shifted its perspective where “winning” is not necessary
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The United States was drawn into various limited conflicts during the 1990s with limited objectives that included peacekeeping operations such as in Somalia and Bosnia. During this time, the First Gulf War occurred that saw an invasion of Kuwait by Iraq alluded to by Tierney as the only US victory since 1945 in his article, “Why Has America Stopped Winning Wars?” Though, this too had the limited objective of removing Sadaam’s Iraqi forces from Kuwaiti sovereign soil maintaining world peace and balance between nation states. US forces were also dedicated in support of NATO peacekeeping operations during the Balkan Wars with the limited objective of maintaining peace among the nations and to prevent the atrocities that were being committed. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 on US soil, a shift in thought process occurred in the US administration with the advent of President George W. Bush’s pre-emption policy intended on killing terrorists prior to them achieving their targets. The purpose of this this policy was to protect the United States and its allies from stateless enemies. The United States embarked on limited campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both campaigns were highly successful in rapidly removing regimes in power, though, the campaigns morphed into state building which did not embrace …show more content…
The worldwide shift following the Second World War altered the role of the United States in the global community particularly during the Cold War that followed, and more so with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 1945, the United States has assumed the role of managing global crisis, reducing instability, and containing emerging threats in response to changes in characteristics of warfare post-World War Two as well as the shifting global landscape. This new role of America as a nation does not necessitate the need for “winning” to achieve limited objectives to maintain world peace and improve the international
The United States was drawn into various limited conflicts during the 1990s with limited objectives that included peacekeeping operations such as in Somalia and Bosnia. During this time, the First Gulf War occurred that saw an invasion of Kuwait by Iraq alluded to by Tierney as the only US victory since 1945 in his article, “Why Has America Stopped Winning Wars?” Though, this too had the limited objective of removing Sadaam’s Iraqi forces from Kuwaiti sovereign soil maintaining world peace and balance between nation states. US forces were also dedicated in support of NATO peacekeeping operations during the Balkan Wars with the limited objective of maintaining peace among the nations and to prevent the atrocities that were being committed. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 on US soil, a shift in thought process occurred in the US administration with the advent of President George W. Bush’s pre-emption policy intended on killing terrorists prior to them achieving their targets. The purpose of this this policy was to protect the United States and its allies from stateless enemies. The United States embarked on limited campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both campaigns were highly successful in rapidly removing regimes in power, though, the campaigns morphed into state building which did not embrace …show more content…
The worldwide shift following the Second World War altered the role of the United States in the global community particularly during the Cold War that followed, and more so with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 1945, the United States has assumed the role of managing global crisis, reducing instability, and containing emerging threats in response to changes in characteristics of warfare post-World War Two as well as the shifting global landscape. This new role of America as a nation does not necessitate the need for “winning” to achieve limited objectives to maintain world peace and improve the international