Value and Limitations of Minimalist Stabilization Efforts.

摘要

The prolonged military and political interventions undertaken by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan have elicited much criticism. Some critics claim that these wars demonstrate the futility of military interventions generally. Others accept that interventions will sometimes be necessary, but argue that large 'nation-building' missions are neither affordable nor effective, advocating instead for small-scale operations designed to tip the balance in favor of local U.S. allies. To help the United States determine the proper scale of interventions, researchers at RAND Arroyo Center examined both the value and the limitations of such 'minimalist stabilization' efforts. They assessed all civil wars or insurgencies of the past 40 years, comparing those that entailed large-scale nation building missions, minimalist stabilization operations, or no foreign intervention. The research team augmented this quantitative assessment with in-depth case studies.