Elbridge Colby, co-founder and principal of the Marathon Initiative and author of The Strategy of Denial, defines a limited war as a conflict where participants have strong incentives to avoid apocalyptic escalation, primarily due to the presence of survi

Elbridge Colby, co-founder and principal of the Marathon Initiative and author of The Strategy of Denial, defines a limited war as a conflict where participants have strong incentives to avoid apocalyptic escalation, primarily due to the presence of survivable nuclear arsenals. He argues that the United States must be prepared to fight a limited war under the "nuclear shadow" to prevent China from unilaterally seizing regional stakes. Because China is prepared for such risks, U.S. unreadiness would grant Beijing significant room to maneuver. These conflicts are not for existential survival but are rules-based, where boundaries are often shaped by the potential for third-party intervention. (1/8)
1930