Big Think Interview with Richard Haass | Big Think

TL;DR

Wars of necessity are fought when vital national interests are at stake and no viable alternatives exist, while wars of choice are fought when interests are less vital and alternative policies are available.

Transcript

well generically Wars of necessity are Wars where I think the vital interests of the nation are at stake and which there are no viable alternatives to the use of force for example diplomacy doesn't uh look appealing or attractive or it's been shown to be unsuccessful sanctions aren't going to do the trick and living with a certain situation is deem... Read More

Key Insights

• 🫱 Wars of necessity are fought when vital national interests are at stake, while wars of choice have less vital interests.
• 🇺🇸 The Vietnam War was a war of choice, as the United States did not have vital national interests at stake.
• 🫱 The Korean War and World War II were wars of necessity, as vital national interests were threatened by invasion.
• 🫱 The Iraq War was considered a war of choice, as the speaker believed there were viable alternatives to military force.
• 🇺🇸 The Obama Administration's strategy in Afghanistan can be seen as a war of choice, as the United States could have more modest goals and means.
• 🇮🇶 The decision to go to war in Iraq was motivated by a desire to make a powerful statement and transform Iraq into a democracy.
• 🖐️ Dick Cheney played a more influential role in the second Bush Administration compared to the first, where he was an outlier.
• 🇺🇸 The decision to go to war in Iraq was driven by a desire to show the United States was not a helpless giant after 9/11.
• 🙈 The speaker believes George W. Bush saw the ousting of the Taliban in Afghanistan as insufficient to send the desired message and that Iraq offered a greater opportunity for transformation.
• 🇺🇸 The speaker advocated for the United States to do more in Afghanistan after 9/11 but is skeptical of the current strategy under the Obama Administration.
• 🔇 The speaker believes it is important to have a debate about interrogation techniques without criminalizing policy debates.
• 🇺🇸 Pakistan is seen as the most worrisome and difficult national security challenge for the United States.
• 🥺 The deteriorating world economy could lead to state failure and increased friction between states.
• 👾 The speaker believes negotiations are the best approach to addressing Iran's nuclear program, but the pace of diplomacy may not match the pace of technology.
• 😀 The challenges facing the Obama Administration's foreign policy include coordinating multiple players and making trade-offs in a crowded global environment.
• 🙊 Loyalty in government involves speaking truth to power and accepting decisions that don't go your way.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between a war of necessity and a war of choice?

A war of necessity is fought when vital national interests are at stake and there are no viable alternatives, while a war of choice is fought when interests are less vital and alternative policies are available.

Q: Can you give examples of wars of choice?

Vietnam, Kosovo, and Bosnia were examples of wars of choice. In these cases, the United States did not have vital national interests at stake, but chose to intervene for strategic or humanitarian reasons.

Q: What were some wars of necessity?

The Korean War and World War II were considered wars of necessity. In the case of the Korean War, the North Korean invasion across the 38th parallel threatened vital national interests. In World War II, the threat posed by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan made the war a necessity.

Q: What were the reasons for the Iraq War being considered a war of choice?

The speaker believed that the status quo in Iraq was not unacceptable or threatening to the United States before the war. He argued that there were viable options for containing Saddam Hussein, such as improving the sanctions regime.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Wars of necessity are fought when vital national interests are at stake and no alternatives, such as diplomacy or sanctions, are viable.

• Wars of choice are fought when interests are less vital and alternative policies, such as diplomacy or sanctions, are available.

• Vietnam, Kosovo, and Bosnia were examples of wars of choice, while the Korean War and World War II were considered wars of necessity.