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Perhaps the central dilemma in national security policy is how to A reconcile the obvious potency of nuclear weapons for purposes of deterrence with their dubious utility as instruments of defense—i.e., for fighting a war at tolerable cost in case deterrence should fail. In prenuclear days, deterrence was more or less a function of an efficient capacity for defense, but with the new technology deterrence may be accomplished with capabilities and threats that do not correspond to the capabilities and strategies most suitable for rational military action. This dichotomy forms the leading theme of Deterrent or Defense, by Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, one of Britain's leading military analysts. The book is a collection of articles written mostly during the past three or four years, and concerned chiefly with military problems of NATO. As in many books of this sort, the articles overlap to some extent and are not always consistent. Leaving aside the inconsistencies for the moment, Liddell Hart's basic position can be stated briefly. Strategic nuclear airpower is useful for deterring an all-out nuclear attack on the United States or a full-scale conventional assault on Western Europe. But it has no value whatever for purposes of defense, because the inevitable result of the actual use of such weapons is simply "mutual suicide." Even though it would be "lunacy" for the United States to initiate thermonuclear war in response to a Soviet attack in Europe, the Russians' fear of such a response probably is still strong enough to deter them from all but limited actions. Hence, the major problem facing NATO is to develop an effective non-suicidal defense against limited aggression. The book's greatest merit lies in its contribution to the solution of this problem.

AbstractThis article examines whether academic representations of LGBTQ Iranians have increased over time and whether they have had harmful or beneficial ethical impacts. The article defines measures of "harm" and "benefit" by drawing on and adding to Canada's Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. Such measures are then used to survey scholarship produced about LGBTQ Iranians. Results show that scholarly interest in "LGBTQ Iran" has increased from 2001 on. The article demonstrates the complexity of balancing ethical measures in research and argues that the benefits of representing marginalized groups may not always outweigh their related harms. Ultimately, a methodology of "productive disengagement" is advanced for researchers who seek to forego representation rather than pursue it.

Chaque homme a en lui autant de potentiel de fraternité que de haine. Pris dans les conditions extrêmes de son engagement, un soldat peut montrer de lui le meilleur comme le pire. Par l'ampleur de son retentissement médiatique, le scandale d'Abu Ghraib a paru constituer une surprise tant la communauté militaire américaine fut choquée, mais les conduites observées étaient hautement prédictibles. Voilés ou révélés, ces dérapages ont existé en bien d'autres temps et d'autres lieux. Il est étonnant que dans leur planification des opérations en Irak, les spécialistes américains n'aient pas retenu les brillantes démonstrations de psychologie expérimentale faites dans leurs universités dans les années 1960 et qui montraient qu'un homme normal placé dans des conditions particulières peut avoir des comportements cruels par extinction de son jugement moral. Les faits sont incontestables : l'éthique peut faire défaut chez un soldat, quelles que soient ses qualités. Les militaires impliqués dans le scandale d'Abu Ghraib étaient des personnes normales. Il se trouvait au milieu d'eux des personnes au comportement moral jusque-là remarquable, mais la situation dans laquelle ils ont été placés les a invinciblement conduits à ce qu'ils ont fait. Ce n'est qu'après coup que l'aspect choquant de leur conduite leur est apparu. La seule vraie prévention de ce phénomène relève du commandement par une action d'information et de surveillance. Plusieurs pays de l' otan ont inclus dans leurs académies militaires un enseignement sur les situations dans lesquelles peut se produire ce problème désigné aujourd'hui sous le terme anglais de moral disengagement et dont la traduction française adéquate serait le « décrochage du sens moral ».

The article discusses a recent truce negotiated between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon & Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas & the current conditions that give unusual cause for optimism for the success of this truce. A majority of Israelis & Palestinians support a two-state solution along the pre-1967 border. The current disengagement plan for withdrawing from Gaza & parts of the West Bank could be a step toward realizing such a solution. Although the plan has also brought considerable political opposition, much of it from within Sharon's own party (Likud), dissent within Likud & the Labour party could lead to productive alliance between the centrist elements of Likud & Labour. It is argued that the success of the disengagement plan & continued support from the international community will be crucial to producing any reconciliation. Adapted from the source document.