Systems of War and Peace

Systems of War and Peace by Theodore Caplow and Louis Hicks. Lanharn, MD: University Press of America, 2002. (pp. 271 / $37.00 - paper covered)

As this review is written, war in the Middle East continues - efforts to root out members of the al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Isrelis against Palestinians, and a military build up for the ousting of the leadership in Iraq. Hence, the volume reviewed here, the second edition published nearly concurrently with 9-11 is most timely. The reader is to be warned, however, that it is not of even quality. The early chapters are well researched, well written, and well balanced. Some of the later chapters, unfortunately, do not measure up to this standard.

The authors begin with a chapter "War is a Social Institution" that introduces the nature of social conflict and the evolution of war through the ages. They also briefly discuss the types of war: private wars such as the turf battles between rival drug lords, insurrection, guerrilla war by groups seeking political change but are too weak to directly challenge a government's forces in open combat, civil wars, religious wars, international wars such as the recent Gulf War, and world wars. They might have added ideological wars (e.g., the Wars of the French Revolution), which bear strong similarities to religious wars.

A chapter "Peace as a Social Institution" follows. Here the authors develop the concept of "fusion", that fusion of smaller political entities into larger ones usually lead to greater internal peace, "the King's Peace." Peace obtained through "balance of power," a situation that most prevailed in Europe from 1815 to 1914, as well as "deterrence," peace through conflict resolution with the aid of neutral parties, and peace through diplomacy are also discussed.

The chapter on "Theoretical Models of War and Peace" is especially interesting because of the introduction of the concept of "geometry of coalitions" in which triads of states interact in various ways to suppress the likelihood of war (stability) or increase it (instability). Here it is worth interjecting a comment on something not in the book: the possible use of dynamic mathematical models to study stability in war/peace relationships. Such concepts, well established in mathematical physics, will not, of course, lead to reliable predictions but can lead to valuable insights as in the origin of World War I.

The book goes on to such topics as international law, the international arms trade, modern military organization, culture and technology. It concludes with a section (three chapters) on Peace Projects, Peacekeeping Organizations, and Arms Control. An appendix offers an "analysis" of the Soviet-German War of 1941-1945. Altogether, Systems of War and Peace is a useful contribution to the literature as intended for university courses in political science with the caveat mentioned above that some of the later chapters are not without their flaws. Some are nits, some are more substantive.

For example, in referring to rank structure the authors categorize Navy and Coast Guard officers as general, field and company grades. This is erroneous. Admirals are flag officers, captains and commanders are of command rank while lieutenant commanders and below are of departmental rank, all signified by the absence or presence of "scrambled eggs" on the cap bill. While lieutenant commanders are of the same pay grade as majors, they are in fact senior lieutenants and do not corresponds to field grade. In a section on military language, they raise the issue of the terminology, for example, a toothpick - an "interdental stimulator." This is not military terminology, rather it is the language of Washington bureaucrats, most likely civil servants, not military personnel! They go on to the terminology of ships, noting that they are referring to as "she" and not realizing that the Germans and Russians use "he." Actually, such terminology is not military at all; it is nautical, for civilian merchant sailors to use it. There are other nits that one could pick but the foregoing is representative. While they may not seem important, they do suggest that the authors may not have a good "feel" for military services.

More substantive criticisms can be made of the chapters on Arms Control and Military Justice. The authors do not approach arms control in a critical manner, i.e., that some agreements work and some do not. The prohibition against atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons is an example of the former. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is an example of one that did not work in that the U.S. scrupulously observed it while the Soviets habitually violated it, an admission that came from the last Foreign Minister of the USSR, Edvard Shevardnadze. A critical treatment of this topic would have greatly enhanced the value of the book. As for military justice, the authors spend an inordinate amount of space on military "justice" as it existed in the "age of wooden ships and iron men." The Uniform Code of Military Justice under which the American armed forces are currently governed is mentioned but the discussion is much too brief. Finally, the price seems excessive for a paper cover book of only 271 pages.

Reviewed by Robert C. Whitten

Former JPMS Book Review Editor

Copyright Dr. George Kourvetaris Winter 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved