The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict

by Elbridge A. Colby

Importantly, this condition does not require that the fait accompli be quick, cheap, or easy, though these attributes naturally increase its allure. Executing a fait accompli can take time and be hard and costly. The essence of the fait accompli, rather, is the attacker’s ability to persuade the victim and its allies and partners not to try to regain the seized territory. It is thus largely about the resolve of the defenders—it exploits the reality that the defender and its allies and partners will typically only go so far to retake the territory in question. Success simply requires that the attacker be able to seize the territory in question and that the victim and its allies and partners be unwilling to suffer the costs and run the risks needed to reverse the gains. Second, the attacker must be able to hold the seized territory or consolidate its control over it.