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When strong states pursue objectives that they can obtain without target compliance (i.e.,
unilateral objectives), their advantage in military capabilities is more important than any
advantage the target has in the ability to tolerate the costs of war. Unilateral objectives allow
strong states to take full advantage of their tremendous war-fighting capabilities, employing a
military strategy designed to seize the objective and destroy the adversary’s capacity to resist.
In
contrast, when strong states pursue objectives that can only be attained through a change in target
behavior (dependent objectives) overwhelming destructive capacity alone cannot guarantee
success. The ability to achieve dependent political objectives depends on a state’s capacity to
persuade the target to acquiesce. As a result, states with dependent war aims can achieve their
military objectives, but still fail to attain the desired political outcome because the target refuses
to comply despite the high cost of resistance.
Convention