Pros And Cons Of Military Occupation

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War is undesirable however it still takes place for the world the states are in are anarchic in nature. During such conflicts states gain and lose territories. Then what do states do with the new land? It is highly unlikely for them to simply raze the area and even more unlikely to give it back to its original owners. They will hold it for the time being, get as much out of it in the process then choose how to proceed this is known as military occupation. To be more specific, according to David M. Edelstein, associate professor working for Georgetown university, military occupation is the temporary control of a territory by another state that claims no right to permanent sovereign control over that territory. The occupying force not intending to …show more content…

Edelstein suggests many ways on how to increase the chances of making a military occupation a success. According to the author, the fundamental challenge of occupation is the potential of nationalistic minority groups driving up the cost of the occupation to an unacceptable level which would not only harm the efficiency but also make profits gained meaningless, therefore, to convince an occupied population not to resist the occupation and to grant the occupying power time is key. Such are only accomplished by overcoming the perception that the occupying power is a military conqueror, convincing the occupied population that the occupation will improve their lives, and assuring them that they will earn back their sovereignty one day. In other words, an occupying power must win the hearts and minds of the occupied population. Establishing law and order, supplying basic services and goods and refraining from the abuse of occupied populations are basic steps toward winning hearts and minds. Such steps signal that the occupying power is dedicated to rebuilding the occupied territory, not just plundering it for valuable resources however there are three more significant aspects which affect the occupied