War Without Politics: A Critique of Clausewitz
Abstract
Perhaps no aspect of Carl von Clausewitz's classic "On War" has more continuing relevance for strategists than his assertion that war "is an act of policy" and further that "war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means." It is significant that to the modern strategist this dictum has become axiomatic. It is a tribute to Clausewitz's considerable intellect that this insight has survived 75 years of the most rapid and revolutionary political, economic, social. and technological change in human history. In fact it is safe to say that this Clausewitzian observation is more broadly accepted today by both military leaders as well as their civilian masters than it was when written (or for the first century afterwards for that matter). Given the near universal acceptance of this axiom in Western strategic thought it is interesting that the noted British military historian, John Keegan, should write at the very beginning of his recent work, "A History of Warfare": "War is not the continuation of policy by other means. The world would be a simpler place to understand if this dictum of Clausewitz's were true." Or as Martin Van Creveld asserts in his introduction to one of his recent works, "The Transformation of War": "Contemporary 'strategic' thought is rooted in a 'Clausewitzian' world picture that is either obsolete or wrong." What is going on here? Has something changed? The purpose of this essay will be to briefly examine the current relevance of the Clausewitzian assertion of the relationship between war and policy and its continuing applicability as we enter the 21st century.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA442317
Entities
People
- Robin B. Sellers
Organizations
- National War College