ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers war termination from the perspective of social conflict. It argues that since World War II, many conflicts display a pattern that involves the stabilization of the battlefield with armies still intact, followed by negotiations for limited objectives. The book examines Soviet perspectives on conflict termination and their application to Soviet military doctrine and strategy. It presents the cases of low and mid-intensity conflict which covered all major regions of the world, provided comparative perspective among cultures and political system types, and which included all phases of low intensity conflicts. The book also examines the applicability of war termination concepts to East-West conflicts in Europe, considers the problem of war in Europe from the standpoint of the combatants as unitary actors, and addresses the complications created by their actual status as coalitions.
