Neither victors nor victims: Royal wootton bassett and civil-military relations in the twenty-first century

TY - CHAP

T1 - Neither victors nor victims

T2 - Royal wootton bassett and civil-military relations in the twenty-first century

AU - Whetham, David

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Oxford University Press 2017.

PY - 2017/1/1

Y1 - 2017/1/1

N2 - Between 2007 and 2011, Wootton Bassett, a small Wiltshire town in the UK, became the focus of national attention as its residents responded to the regular repatriations of dead soldiers through its High Street. The town’s response came to symbolize the way that broader attitudes developed and changed over that period. As such, it is a fascinating case study in civil-military relations in the twenty-first century. Success may be the same as victory, but victory, at least as it has been traditionally understood, is not a realistic goal in many types of contemporary conflict. Discretionary wars-conflicts in which national survival is not an issue and even vital national interests may not be at stake-pose particular challenges for any government which does not explain why the cost being paid in blood and treasure is ‘worth it’.

AB - Between 2007 and 2011, Wootton Bassett, a small Wiltshire town in the UK, became the focus of national attention as its residents responded to the regular repatriations of dead soldiers through its High Street. The town’s response came to symbolize the way that broader attitudes developed and changed over that period. As such, it is a fascinating case study in civil-military relations in the twenty-first century. Success may be the same as victory, but victory, at least as it has been traditionally understood, is not a realistic goal in many types of contemporary conflict. Discretionary wars-conflicts in which national survival is not an issue and even vital national interests may not be at stake-pose particular challenges for any government which does not explain why the cost being paid in blood and treasure is ‘worth it’.

KW - Civil-military relations

KW - Contemporary conflict

KW - Discretionary wars

KW - Repatriation

KW - Royal wootton bassett

KW - Victory

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044719807&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/oso/9780198801825.003.0011

DO - 10.1093/oso/9780198801825.003.0011

M3 - Chapter

AN - SCOPUS:85044719807

SP - 175

EP - 197

BT - Moral Victories

PB - Oxford University Press

ER -