Clausewitz says war is a political instrument §

• Political Philosophy of War: You have to understand politics to understand why war happens

  • Politics: means states policy. What is required for its survival. Including funding, economic

• Clausewitz’s conception of war {#8fe086}

  • War is merely the continuation of policy by other means, We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy, but a true political instrument…”
  • But because of its nature it is… “A CLASH OF FORCES FREELY OPERATING AND OBEDIENT TO NO LAWS BUT THEIR OWN,”
  • “War is an act of force intended to compel the enemy to our will.”
  • “If you want to overcome your enemy you must match your efforts against his power of resistance… the total means at his disposal and the strength of his will”

The Paradoxical Trinity of War §

• War is a tension between government’s policy, military capability, and the passion of the people.

1. Policy: war is a means to achieve political objectives
2. Passion/Nationalism: is how can you mobilize an entire nation to fight a war.
   • The passion to fight a war must already be inherent in the people for war to happen
   • People do not want to die without a reasonable cause
     • This depends on whether people are civilized or not.
       • Savages are ruled by passion.
       • The civilized are ruled by their minds.
   • People can protest and force the government to be rational against war
   • People with deep dark passions/emotions can be cloud-minded to cause reckless harm to non-combatants ¹
     • Geneva conventions aims to channel energy of combatants towards actual enemies of war instead of innocent civilians.
3. Probability: To fight a war you have to be very organized
   • State doesn’t have to fight just wars: US can invade a country for oil wells
   • Only state can fight a war
   • The impulse of armies who were trained to kill enemies must be restrained ¹
     • War is a political tool to gain a political objective. It shouldn’t be something done just for the purpose of war.
     • Can be restrained by employing ‘Rules of Engagement’ in military
       • Obedience, order, rule, methods
       • To obey laws of war, ethics, mercy, empathy

References §

Footnotes §

1. The Trinity and the Law of War (thestrategybridge.org) ↩ ↩²