The main argument that Van Evera puts forward in the article is the declaration that the 'cult of the offensive' was a principal cause of WWI. The cult of the offensive is a phenomena that was particularly prominent in Europe the decades preceding WWI. Van Evera defines this as the millitaries tendency to glorify the offensive and adopt offensive military strategies.
According to Van Evera, there are five major dangers that may develop when offense is strong :
1. States adopt more aggressive foreign policies to exploit new opportunities and to avert new dangers which appear when offense is strong.
2. States adopt competitive styles of diplomacy since the gains promised by such tactics can easily justify the risks they demand.
3. Windows of opportunity open wider, raising the risk of preventive war.
4. Size of the advantage accruing to the side mobilizing first increases, again raising the risks of preventive war.
5. States enforce tighter political and military secrecy, since national security is threatened more directly if enemies win the contest for information.
Van Evera in the article discusses several major pre- WWI powers that he believed reinforced offensive foreign policies through Europe. Among these are France, Russia, Britain, Germany and USA. In the end, Van Evera concludes by reemphasizing that the cult of offensive was a major underlying cause of the War of 1914 that built on a wide range of secondary dangers and led to the involvement of many world powers in the war.
According to Van Evera, there are five major dangers that may develop when offense is strong :
1. States adopt more aggressive foreign policies to exploit new opportunities and to avert new dangers which appear when offense is strong.
2. States adopt competitive styles of diplomacy since the gains promised by such tactics can easily justify the risks they demand.
3. Windows of opportunity open wider, raising the risk of preventive war.
4. Size of the advantage accruing to the side mobilizing first increases, again raising the risks of preventive war.
5. States enforce tighter political and military secrecy, since national security is threatened more directly if enemies win the contest for information.
Van Evera in the article discusses several major pre- WWI powers that he believed reinforced offensive foreign policies through Europe. Among these are France, Russia, Britain, Germany and USA. In the end, Van Evera concludes by reemphasizing that the cult of offensive was a major underlying cause of the War of 1914 that built on a wide range of secondary dangers and led to the involvement of many world powers in the war.
Weak post Nauman. While you do an okay job of summarizing key points (and listing some) from the piece, you should really aim to provide more analysis in the future.
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