How Western Soldiers Fight

Organizational Routines in Multinational Missions
Erscheinungsjahr 2018
ISBN: 978-1-108-42910-8
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 320 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 233 mm, Gewicht: 589 g

In contemporary missions, soldiers often face unconventional opponents rather than enemy armies. How do Western soldiers deal with war criminals, rioters, or insurgents? What explains differences in behavior across military organizations in multinational missions? How does military conduct impact local populations? Comparing troops from the United States, Britain, Germany, and Italy at three sites of intervention (Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan), this book shows that militaries in the field apply idiosyncratic organizational routines. Friesendorf uses the concept of routines to explain, for example, why US soldiers are trigger-happy, why British soldiers patrol on foot, and why German soldiers avoid risk. Despite convergence in military structures and practices, militaries continue to fight differently, often with much autonomy. This bottom-up perspective focuses on different routines at the level of operations and tactics, thus contributing to a better understanding of the implementation of military missions, and highlighting failures of Western militaries to protect civilians.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Friesendorf, Cornelius

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Konflikt- und Friedensforschung, Rüstungskontrolle, Abrüstung
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Militärwesen
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Friedens- und Konfliktforschung
• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationales Öffentliches Recht, Völkerrecht, Internationale Organisationen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Soldiers and unconventional problems; 3. Potential explanations of military behavior; 4. Organizational routines; 5. How military routines evolved; 6. Bosnia-Herzegovina; 7. Kosovo; 8. Afghanistan; 9. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Friesendorf, Cornelius
Cornelius Friesendorf is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH). Previous activities include working for an EU police reform support project in Myanmar, and teaching International Relations at Goethe University Frankfurt. He has published on security sector reform, counter-insurgency, organized crime, and privatized security.