War and Diplomacy

Alongside war, there has always been diplomacy; alongside the warlord, the diplomat seeking a nonmilitary solution. Diplomatic efforts have shortened some of our worst wars and exacerbated others. The interaction of war and diplomacy is a theme avidly studied worldwide, considered by political and military strategists, and watched over by all those interested in international affairs.

War and Diplomacy uses twentieth- and twenty-first-century case studies to review the evolution of this aspect of conflict prevention or reduction. Its contributors consider not only the changing philosophies of the participants—politicians, diplomats, and the military—but also the outside influences that may have changed the nature, and even the purpose, of peacekeeping and conflict resolution over the past century. As today a military threat can be applied without deploying vast armies and, conversely, can be reduced with pressure from international organizations rather than from an individual warlord, so the public’s awareness of military conflict is now heightened by instantaneous broadcasts to worldwide audiences and by loud calls for diplomatic intervention. Regarding media and military affairs, therefore, evidence suggests the metaphoric pen can indeed be mightier than the sword.