TROVÄRDIGHET INOM KONVENTIONELL MILITÄRSTRATEGISK AVSKRÄCKNING : en begreppsutredning

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to systematically analyze the theoretical concept of ‘credibility’ in the context of conventional deterrence by using John Gerrings theoretical framework ‘Conceptual Goodness’ for understanding concept formation. It is a qualitative study based on four selected scientific articles about conventional deterrence. By exploring and categorizing the usage of the concept of ‘credibility’ the theoretical understanding of the concept is problematized and analyzed by using six different criteria described by Gerring. By increasing the theoretical understanding of how the term is used in the relation to conventional deterrence the concept analysis contributes to clarify the extent of what the concept entails and the limits of how it can be used in the military doctrines of the Swedish armed forces. The results show that the concept of credibility is a complex but useful concept to describe the interactive process how military deterrence is achieved. The analysis also highlights the potential limitations of using a concept as comprehensive as ‘credibility’.