The 'Importance of Winning': Affect, Just War and the 'Familiarization' of Success By © 2015 Luke B. Campbell Submitted to the graduate degree program in Political Science and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Mariya Omelicheva ________________________________ Dr. Brent Steele ________________________________ Dr. Paul Schumaker ________________________________ Dr. Burdett Loomis ________________________________ Dr. Dave Tell Date Defended: July 7th, 2015 ii The Dissertation Committee for Luke B. Campbell certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The 'Importance of Winning': Affect, Just War and the 'Familiarization' of Success ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Mariya Omelicheva Date approved: July 7th, 2015 iii Abstract The primary aim of this dissertation is to engage critically a puzzling element of Just War Theory (JWT): that ethical criteria for justifying decisions to go to war have been augmented by an important prudential consideration-the probability that engaging in war will (or will not) be successful. If this is to continue to be a part of JWT, the criteria of probable success must be fleshed out. I argue that the objective indicator that the decision to go to war will be successful is lacking or misconstrued. Against the notion of success as prudential, this dissertation will show that the probability of success is not a matter of rationality or prudentiality but rather becomes essential or expected when attached to specific emotional memories, metaphors and cultural symbols; and central not secondary (as suggested in JWT) to particular war aims. This is, furthermore enabled by a recent culture of permissibility in the use of JWT and augmented by important internal and structural inconsistencies which are incompatible with conflict realities. In order to demonstrate the complicated reality of action beyond prudentiality, the dissertation employs an important and appropriate method, Weber's "ideal-types", in order to demonstrate that success in war for the United States is "affectively familiar" action, not merely prudential. The dissertation concludes by suggesting that JWT scholars must get outside of the instrumental structure itself, take a look back and examine if and how the assumptions about criteria and their placement enable this problem in the first place. iv Acknowledgments First, a very special thank you to Tanna. In all honesty, thank you is really not enough. You’ve supported this seemingly never-ending goal with optimism, love and unwavering encouragement, which is exactly what was needed to remedy the isolation of this endeavor. Another very special thank you goes to my little boy Reed Bradley. You’ve shown me over and over again what’s really important and will always give me a reason to be eagerly distracted from my work. To Brent and Mariya, thank you for very patiently shaping me into the scholar I have become, for teaching me key lessons about life and academia, and for modeling what a scholar should be; you’ve both given me something to which I can continually aspire. Thank you to the other members of the dissertation committee: Paul Schumaker, Burdett Loomis, and Dave Tell. I would also like to extend a general thank you to the entire Political Science faculty at the University of Kansas. A very big thank you also goes to Linda and Betty Jo for putting up with me and the other graduate students, for always having the right answers to our myriad of questions, and for doing it all with grace and kindness. Finally, I have to thank Gary Armstrong and Alan Holiman, professors, mentors and now dear friends. You started me on this journey and it is only fitting that you both have worked closely with me as it has come to an end. v Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Back to Back World War Champs ............................................................................................................ 1 Dissertation Aim ....................................................................................................................................... 1 JWT and “Success” ................................................................................................................................... 3 Methodology: Ideal-Types, Action and Rationality Reconsidered ........................................................... 7 Weber’s “Forms of Action” ...................................................................................................................... 9 Outline of the Dissertation ...................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2: Prudential and Its Critics ................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 3: Success: That Old Familiar Feeling .................................................................................. 14 Chapter 4: WWII, Our Best Days? ..................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 5: Rethinking Success ........................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 2: Prudential and Its Critics ........................................................................................................... 19 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 19 An Ontological Note ........................................................................................................................... 21 Success in the Evolution of Just War ...................................................................................................... 22 The Evolving “conversation” .................................................................................................................. 23 Prudential’s Proponents .......................................................................................................................... 28 Prudential’s Critics .................................................................................................................................. 34 Alternative Conceptions of “Success” .................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 3: Success: That Old Familiar Feeling .......................................................................................... 39 Framing, Acceptability, and Action ........................................................................................................ 40 Frames ................................................................................................................................................. 41 Framing and Weber’s Forms of Action .................................................................................................. 43 Action and Meaning ................................................................................................................................ 44 Weber’s “Forms” of Action .................................................................................................................... 45 Affective Familiarization ........................................................................................................................ 47 vi The Complicating Notion of Habit ......................................................................................................... 48 Habit: The individual and the social ....................................................................................................... 49 The Breaking of Habits ........................................................................................................................... 51 Familiarization: The Past as Present; The Past as Future ....................................................................... 52 The Past as Present .............................................................................................................................. 52 The Past as Future ............................................................................................................................... 55 “In this great future, you can’t forget your past.” -Bob Marley .......................................................... 55 Rhetorical Familiarity ......................................................................................................................... 57 Affect ...................................................................................................................................................... 59 Affective Familiarization: “Wartime Consciousness” and Connecting the Past, Present and