Coercion for Hire: A Theory of Indirect Coercion

The purpose of this book is to examine the use of indirect coercion as an element of political warfare and as a policy option for the United States. The author synthesizes the concepts of indirect strategy and coercion to provide a cost-effective policy option for U.S. decision makers. In order to establish the strategic utility of indirect coercion, this work examines the conditions that are necessary for successful coercion of an adversary using limited military and economic resources. The study examines four historical cases of indirect coercion. The cases examined are Indonesia, Italy, and Chile during the early Cold War era, and Hezbollah as an ongoing case-to explore the varying outcomes, from success to complete failure. The analysis of the case studies examines surrogate targeting, the covert/overt balance, surrogate vs. sponsor centricity, and the role of positive inducements.

Author: Naval Postgraduate School

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: Nov 05, 2014

Number of Pages: 116 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: 1503099733

ISBN-13: 9781503099739