He also uses Carl von Clausewitz book, On War because, “This study offers an alternative understanding to Weigley's, one based on the proposition that war focused on noncombatant populations is itself a fundamental part of Americans' military past, indeed, is Americans' first way of…
Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier who later became a major military thinker of the 19th century. Antoine-Henri Jomini was a Swiss man that joined the French revolution and even joining Russia and would become the most popular thinker of his time. Both Jomini and Clausewitz share many similarities more than their differences yet they both do focus on two different camps of ideas, the importance of strategy and chaos in war.…
On the Strategic way of war, America seeks more of an independent strategic policy success. “ The strategic way of war also includes alternative national strategies such as deterrence and a war of limited aims.” (keravouri) Weigley who was the pioneer in the book American Way of War in 1973. Described it as “Consisted of a unique American methodology: One of attrition and annihilation.” (Weigley) Also Brian Mcallister Linn describes it one step further with the attrition and annihilation. In the book the Echo of Battle: the Army’s Way of War, Linn States “appreciating a national way of war requires going beyond debates on the merits of attrition or annihilation fire-power or mobility, military genius, or collective professional ability.” (Linn)…
General George S. Patton referred to by many historians as the “Forgotten General” didn’t see much action in almost the entirety of his military career. In fact he did not have the opportunity to show his genius in military warfare until World War II. It wasn’t until the end of 1942 thru 1945 that General Patton had finally proved to the world the genius he was in tactical warfare, and many compared him to Hitler because of his talk of never giving up an inch of land, his contempt for civilian authority, and his joy at killing. Patton’s love of war, coupled with his seemingly coldhearted approach to battle, still makes his critics uncomfortable. Despite the…
The Art of War is a military text composed of multiple sections that discuss military tactics without restricting them to specific situations. This allows for individuals, such as Mao Zedong, to create their own military doctrines based upon The Art of War’s teaching. In a 1968 interview, Mao Zedong admitted to having read Sun Tzu 's The Art of War before writing his own works on military tactics from 1936 to 1938. Sun Tzu’s diction indicates a serious tone as shown by The Art of War’s succinct sentences that emphasize decisive action. Sentences such as “There is no instance of a country having benefitted from prolonged warfare” and “In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns” candidly highlight the importance of thorough military planning and sharp execution.…
“Michael Howard’s ‘War and the Liberal Conscience’ is as persuasive a book could be about the necessity of studying war.” How far would you agree with this statement?…
[ 18 ]. Harry Yeide, “The German View of Patton,” World War II 26 (2012): 27.…
Unsurprisingly, this statement generates criticism on applicability of Clausewitz’s theory with the increase of intra-state wars since the end of Cold War. For instance, H.P Willmott and Michael B. Barrett argued that Clausewitz’s theory is overly simplistic, and according to the Prussian, war has only one simple nature which is its subordination to policy and the theory lost its legacy as a result of absence of inter-state war since the first Gulf War. At first glance it might seem that war is inherently subservient to a government as it usually generates politics and directs policies. However, governments are not only policy makers and wage wars on another yet emergence of non-state actors brought change in the current security environment. In fact, Clausewitz had an answer to his critics if one read his book carefully. Essentially he said that “…..the feudal lords and trading cities of the Middle Ages, eighteenth-century kings and the rulers and peoples of the nineteenth century - all conducted war in their own particular way, using different methods and pursuing different aims”. It is therefore fair to assume that he was aware of other actors who would have different aims/policies than those of states. With regard to the ISIS, its main aim is to create Islamic caliphate and its actions against Iraqi and Syria governments, and against the West are continuation of its policies. Therefore, it is fair to say that Clausewitz’s hypothesis on war’s subordination to policy is still applicable while policy itself, in other word, war’s one of characters changing over time. War has been and would be always continuation of policy yet policy makers would decide to provoke it under their assumption of chance to succeed as…
In this chapter, Walzer discusses the cruelty of war and whether there can be any justification for such cruelty. He begins by distinguishing between the justice of war (jus ad bellum) and the justice in war (jus in bello). "War is always judged twice, first with reference to the reasons states have for fighting, secondly with reference to the means they adopt." (p.21).…
Rengger, N. (2002) ‚On the just war tradition in the twenty-first century‘, International Affairs (Royal Institute of International…
David Irving has experienced praise and support from renowned academics in the field of history. Irving’s work is “the best study we have of the German side of the second world war” (D.D. Guttenplan 1). Gordon Craig, a leading scholar of German history at Stanford University, praises Irving’s energy as a researcher. Irving is described as a relentless document researcher, as he spent years collecting and analyzing Nazi archives. Research and analysis are some of the key operations of historians. Military…
Military theory spans centuries of conflict all across the world. As such, military theorists have written in a variety of military climates, varying from the absence of gun powder to the presence of nuclear weapons. However, some military theories are transcendent. Some elements of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz are eternally wise. While their similarities may become universal truths, their differences are equally worthy of study because, it is in the differences where choices are made. Sun Tzu and Clausewitz agreed that war is chaos, military action is a tool for diplomatic goals and, as such, the results of warfare are not final. Their differences lie in how they advocate for waging war. The style and preparations for war contrast. This is where…
German sociologist Max Weber wrote of the Great War, “this war, with all its ghastliness, is nevertheless grand and wonderful. It is worth experiencing” (EP 768). Embellishing the heroism of warfare, Weber reflects a common acceptance of war in the early twentieth century as one of sport and necessity. However, with the development of nuclear arms came a paradigm shift concerning war and its role amid international powers. Acknowledging the destructive potential of nuclear warfare, Kennedy adamantly stated, “We were not going to misjudge or challenge the other side needlessly, or precipitously push our adversaries into a course of action that was not intended” (75). Using historical precedent as his guide, President Kennedy acts upon the belief that war is rarely intentional, while also recognizing the evolving dynamic of war as one of an arms struggle.…
Reading “The Yellow wall paper made me feel small and vulnerable. Feelings that woman of that time were often privy too. My point of view on myself and the world didn’t change but I was reminded of how privileged I am to live in a world that values women.…
I have decided to write my paper over two of the greatest generals of World War II: Erwin Rommal and George S. Patton. These two men are the most well known generals of World War II and for a reason. They both are nearly identical in the way they fought their fought their opponents…