The Armed Suasion Concept Essay (Critical Writing)

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Introduction

Armed suasion is relatively a new term which has been fronted to explain the showing off of military power as a means of gaining an upper hand over other nations in international affairs. Though the term is relatively new, the art is quite old and has been used successfully by a number of nations in the past. In this article, specific examples are picked to discuss and explain the paradoxical logic of armed suasion.

Armed Suasion

This is a military as well as a political strategy of gaining international political mileage. Basically, this strategy involves flexing a country’s military muscles in a manner that is more of visible to other nations (Baylis, 2006). The principal intention of doing this is to create an awareness of military strength that is in place. Alternatively, it might be viewed as an awareness campaign aimed at sensitizing the observers that the military on display is worth to reckon with. It is worth noting that armed suasion only works during peace times (Luttwak, 2001).

Examining how this strategy has been used in the past has proven it to be a contradictory strategy. It is a paradoxical strategy because the military on display never gets to be tested in a real combat to ascertain its capability. This however does not mean that an armed suasion does not work – it works and works wonders. Luttwak (2001) offered several examples of how armed suasions have worked wonders in the past. One great case discussed was that of Italy during the Mussolini reign. He noted that the military policy in place then was actually an armed suasion strategy: “…a military policy in which stage management was far more important than the sordid need of war preparation…sacrificed real combat strength for the sake of hugely magnified images of military power” (Luttwak, 2001, p. 221).

The paradox comes in because when armed suasion is used, it seems to work miracles but when the time comes for the actually testing of the military power it proves otherwise. This was the case for Italy under Mussolini. The armed suasion that Mussolini had used to gain so many advantages against nations such as Britain and France were thwarted when Italy went to war in 1940. Italy emerged out of the war defeated and thus successfully lost all the gains it had acquired early through armed suasion (Luttwak, 2001).

Another illustration of armed suasion was the arms race. The Soviet Union and the USA engaged each other in this race for some time. They never fought each other but always there was a display of military might and intelligence through blasting of nuclear bombs, flights to the outer space, construction of long range missiles, among other actions (Luttwak, 2001). This same strategy is seen today in regional areas. For example, Pakistan and India have always flexed their military muscles with the aim of intimidating each other to gain regional respect (Nelson, 2012).

Conclusion

Armed suasion is a strategy which has always been in use. This strategy has been viewed as an awareness campaign of the military might of a nation. Its aim is to dissuade other nations on the dangers of inflicting on the interests of the nation using the strategy. Paradoxically, history has shown that though this strategy has worked, when it comes to real war it has sometimes been disastrous. However, it is still a great strategy as it avoids wars and yet realizes results which are intended.

References

Baylis, J. (2006). Strategy in the Contemporary World: An Introduction to Strategic Studies. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Luttwak, E. (2001). Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace. Massachusetts, MA: Harvard University Press.

Nelson, D. (2012). The Telegraph. Web.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2020, May 20). The Armed Suasion Concept. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-armed-suasion-concept/

Work Cited

"The Armed Suasion Concept." IvyPanda, 20 May 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/the-armed-suasion-concept/.

References

IvyPanda. (2020) 'The Armed Suasion Concept'. 20 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2020. "The Armed Suasion Concept." May 20, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-armed-suasion-concept/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Armed Suasion Concept." May 20, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-armed-suasion-concept/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Armed Suasion Concept." May 20, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-armed-suasion-concept/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1