'Shooting' at the Wrong Target: A Response to Van Crevald

In: Millennium: journal of international studies, Volume 29, Issue 2, p. 443-448

Abstract

What the military is for, certainly in the US, seems to have changed dramatically, & the absorption of large numbers of women into the military is one striking feature of this change. But I would suggest that placing all the weight on its so-called "feminization" is mistaken. A careful analysis has to situate itself within the broader political dynamics, including the decline of notions of civic duty, that contributed to the transformation of the militaries of the advanced countries, & examine the influence of technological innovations on the outlook of the armed forces. No doubt, a variant on arguments for gender equality -- a version I find problematic -- has also played its part. But it is only a part -- not, as van Creveld would have it, the whole picture. Adapted from the source document.