ABSTRACT
Most limited war theorizing has to be considered from two distinct perspectives; that of those who are interested in waging wars in a controlled fashion, and that of those who wish to avoid war altogether. Ideas of limited war still undermined the strategy of deterrence, and so long as this remained the cornerstone of Western defence nothing should be done to diminish its credibility. The 1960s witnessed a sophisticated elaboration of limited war doctrine. Mr. R. McNamara in particular erected an elegant and intellectually satisfying strategic doctrine which embraced both deterrence and limited war. ‘The McNamara strategy’ was a formidable attempt to reshape United States defence policy along realistic lines. Soldiers in a limited war need a quite different and much more sophisticated attitude of mind than those engaged in a straightforward, unlimited clash of arms, and the actual conduct of a limited war imposes new rules on the combatants.
