1st Edition

First Strike Preemptive War in Modern History

By Matthew J. Flynn Copyright 2008
272 Pages
by Routledge

272 Pages
by Routledge

272 Pages
by Routledge

Preemptive warfare is the practice of attempting to avoid an enemy’s seemingly imminent attack by taking military action against them first. It is undertaken in self-defense. Preemptive war is often confused with preventive war , which is an attack launched to defeat a potential opponent and is an act of aggression. Preemptive war is thought to be justified and honorable, while preventive war... Read more

Introduction  1. The Seven Streams: Napoleon Moves on Vienna, 1805  2. Preserving a Way of Life: The War Between the States, 1861  3. Imperial Hegemony: The Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905  4. Trapped into War: Imperial Germany and the Great War in Europe, 1914  5. A Question of Survival: National Socialism Takes Germany to War, 1939  6. Choosing Enemies: Japan Accepts the US Challenge for War, 1941  7. The Soviet Monroe Doctrine: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939  8. Fighting on Ground of its Own Choosing: The PRC Opts for War in Korea, 1950  9. Being Everywhere at Once: Israel Defeats the Arab League, 1967  10. A Dangerous Simplicity: The American Preemptive War in Iraq, 2003.  Conclusion: Preemptive Doctrine: The Weight of History, Limited Returns

Biography

Matthew J. Flynn is Assistant Professor of twentieth century military and U.S. diplomatic history at Arizona State University’s Department of Language, Cultures, and History. He is the author of China Contested: Western Powers in East Asia.

"[A]n interesting and provocative exercise in ‘arguing from history’"—Journal of Military History