Nature of war and the theory of war
War is defined as a violent conflict of interest between a group of people or organizations that is mainly characterized by the use of military force. It can also be described as a long-standing conflict that arises between two parties or more groups of people over natural resources, cultural differences of any other contention matters. The main essence of war is a violent struggle between two or more hostile, irreconcilable, and independent parties, with each party trying to gain control of the other. The main goal of the war is to impose our will on our enemies. According to Carl von Clausewitz, “War has an enduring nature that demonstrates four continuities: a political dimension, a human dimension, the existence of uncertainty and that it is a contest of wills (Von Clausewitz, 1956).” Carl tries to explain t6eh nature of war in his book released in the 18th century although this has been disputed by different authors. Also, Carl paid significant attention to theory of war by arguing that, theory of war is “an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will,’ directed by political motives and morality (Lindell, 2009).” Carl acknowledged that when war strikes it tends to have negative impact on both human life and property as it is characterized by destruction.
War has been common part of human kind for many centuries and dates back into the human history. Different cultures tend to adopt certain measures to respond to the impact of war that is greatly varies depending in their ethical values, historical experiences and philophical perspectives. In his book Carl von Clausewitz paid significant attention to how moral and political aspects impact war. The nature war of tend to be impacted by human competition. Despite the nature of war being constant it is unpredictable and may be affected by mix of moral, physical and metal factors. It is also important to have deep understanding of the factors that contribute outbreak of conflict by focusing on the theory of ho war occurs (Lindell, 2009). In most international relations theories of war may be absent thus affecting measures taken to understand the root cause of war and its effects. The bargaining model of war is known as one of the theory of war that offers significant insight in explaining the root cause of war. Albert Einstein argued that, you cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.” Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of war and its impacts before taking appropriate measures to address its effects.
According to carl von Clausewitz the nature of war tend to be constant despite the characters of war changing with time depending on social and political context it is exposed. Clausewitz argued that war does not change but its characters tend to change. In modern world the nature of war continue to evolve due to significant technological advancements. In explaining the nature of Carl identifies different aspects of war such as danger, physical exertion, friction and intelligence as the core elements that coalesce to form the atmosphere of war. Some of these aspects may make it hard for military forces to addressed root cause of war. The nature of war continues to change thus calling for adequate measures to address its impacts. After the terrorists attack of September 11th in United States the Americans army had to change their intelligence on how to address the war with the al-Qaida group. Therefore, it is important to have deep understanding of ear and its impacts as this helps in preventing an assumption that any form of conflict may translate into war. In his book Clausewitz argues that war is a natural part of human life
War is a silent chameleon that adapts its nature and it may be destruction when it adapts to its characteristics. The nature of war continues changing despite Carl von Clausewitz argument that it was constant but its characters were dynamic. Carl holds that the nature of war is composed of two parts, “the triad” meaning that the war is a political instrument and the duel meaning war is subject to change. Clausewitz argues, “Each side therefore compels its opponent to follow suit; a reciprocal action that is started” in which the opposite party “…dictates to me as much as I dictate to him” (Von Clausewitz, 1956). This means that war continue to evolve slightly thus adapting to new characteristics. The main reason why Clausewitz paid significant attention to the nature of war and theory of war is to highlight the general principles that would result from historical and logical thinking.
According to Robert Gilpin, “the phenomenon of general or hegemonic war has been viewed as a distinctive kind of conflict, and one that has played critical role in world history.” There are many theories that have been developed to explain the nature of war based on different approaches from philosophy (Levy, 1985). Clausewitz theory of war is divided into three main goals such as overcome the armed enemy power, taking position of material and any other form of sources of strength of the enemy and lastly wining public support. Another theory of war argues that war is caused by psychological diversity of populations in some regions. Therefore, this may be the main reason why ten to create intergroup hostility between parties that war shared common identities such as religions and cultural traditions. Clausewitz believed that absolute war called for utmost extortion of powers to help in addressing the causes of war in society (Pappila, 2008). In contrast to his earlier work of Antonie-Henri jomini, who had argued that war could not be reduced into map work or quantified Clausewitz developed different aphorism which hold that war is a continuation of politics.
In conclusion, Carl continues to argue that war is limited by friction, chance, inevitable logistical and uncertainties that may arise in future. If necessary measures are not taken in curbing the impact of war and use of violence the length and impact of war continue to increase. Carl believed that war tends to exist in realm of chance and it lies in the uncertainty. The theory of war acknowledges that was is an act of violence that is greatly impacted by political motives and morality. The destructions resulting from war may be long lasting and may leave a permanent scar to the victims. Understanding the mature of war and theory of war helps modern governments and military forces to adopt adequate emaures when faced with challenging situation threatening their security. The work of Carl von Clausewitz continue to help in understanding the root cause of war and its characters which must be addressed to curb any form of conflict.
References
Lindell, J. (2009). Clausewitz: War, Peace and Politics. Retrieved from https://www.e-ir.info/2009/11/26/clausewitz-war-peace-and-politics/
Levy, J. S. (1985). Theories of general war. World Politics: A Quarterly Journal of International Relations, 344-374.
Pappila, O. (2008). The nature of war today. Kungl Krigsvetenskapsakademiens Handlingar och Tidskrift, (4), 69-73.
Von Clausewitz, C. (1956). On war (Vol. 2). Jazzybee Verlag.