Victory? How to define and assess it

Andrew J. Bacevics, professor of history and international relations at Boston University, writing in the LA Times:

"In the wake of the war in southern Lebanon, claims of victory are legion. Hardly had the shooting stopped than Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was asserting that Hezbollah had triumphed. Others see Syria or Iran or even Shiite Islam as the big winner. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, seconded by President Bush, doggedly insists that Israel came out on top.

What are we to make of these competing claims? What is victory anyway?

Ardently pursued, victory in the modern era has been remarkably elusive. Genuine victory implies something more than military success; it must have a political dimension. Even then, results often prove other than expected. Understanding why requires that we appreciate the intimate relationship between war and politics."

In the light of the recent Israel-Hezbollah war and each side, and other countries, touting who won and who lost - does anyone really win a war? - this analysis of what constitutes a victory pays reading here.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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