Offense, Defense, and War

Offense-defense theory and the debates it spawned were a major step forward in the field of international politics. They brought together the study of diplomatic and military history; military strategy, operations and technology; civil-military relations; and realist international relations theory. Whether or not one accepts the findings of the theory's key advocates, it changed fundamentally the intellectual foundations of the international relations field, and what it means to be a scholar of the causes of war. This collection includes key works by most of the three generations of scholars who have contributed to this important development.

Barry R. Posen, Ford International Professor of Political Science, Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Why wars occur and how they can be prevented are perennial questions for analysts of national security affairs and students of international politics. Central to those questions are the concept of the offense-defense balance and the role that it plays in bringing on, or preventing, war. This volume brings together the best scholarship published over the last thirty years on these subjects.

Robert J. Art, Christian A. Herter Professor of International Relations, Brandeis University, author of A Grand Strategy for America

Offense, Defense, and War is sure to be an invaluable book for students of international politics. It contains virtually all of the key works on offense-defense theory, a truly important set of ideas about how states behave toward each other.

John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago