Politics in the Korean War
Abstract
As the first war of the Nuclear Age, the Korean War was unique in many aspects. One aspect of its uniqueness was the open debate between President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur concerning the war's military and political objectives. Another unique aspect was rapid fluctuations in the military situation. These characteristics make the Korean War a good case study for the analysis of the relationship between the political purpose of war and military objectives. Though Clausewitz discusses this relationship in his book, "0n War," his thoughts alone are not enough to completely understand this important relationship. Throughout "On War" Clausewitz offers a large number of examples to illustrate many of his points, however, there are no examples illustrating the relationship between political purpose and military objectives. According to the author, the absence of examples in this area is understandable, considering the closed and obscure nature of politics in Clausewitz's time. Even today, political purposes are often not openly or clearly stated, and as such can be the cause of much debate. The unique openness of the Korean War allows for an analysis of the relationship between U.S. political and military objectives which Clausewitz found so critical.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA440621
Entities
People
- Paul N. Dunn
Organizations
- National War College