Think Again: War

Which is more representative of modern war: The United States unleashing high-tech arsenals to defeat dubious Third World regimes swiftly or machete-wielding insurgents fighting brutal civil wars in Africa? The short answer: both. Yet neither of these scenarios conforms to the classic model of warfare as a titanic struggle between rival great powers. It's time to update the textbooks and reappraise the nature of war.

BY LAWRENCE FREEDMAN | JULY 1, 2003

"War Is the Continuation of Politics by Other Means"

Yes. After more than 170 years, the thesis of Prussian military theorist Karl von Clausewitz still applies. War is violence with a purpose. What has changed is whose purposes are being served and their nature. Clausewitz was most interested in great powers struggling for dominance, drawing upon the whole resources of their states, and throwing vast armies against each other. Today, with the United States as the dominant superpower, the also-rans in the international hierarchy know there is little point in trying to gain ascendancy through arms races and alliance formation. And in a postcolonial world characterized by economic interdependence, there are fewer reasons to pursue the old mercantilist agenda of conquering and occupying productive territory, protecting trade routes, and gaining influence by planting the national flag on foreign shores.

Traditional power struggles still prevail in some regions of the world, such as Africa, where rival factions vie for dominance, countries remain marginalized from the global economy, and violence is endemic. By and large, these regions produce civil wars -- the most common type of modern warfare. Although there is no novelty in conflicts caused by groups seeking secession or insurrection, global communications have internationalized civil wars by drawing attention to humanitarian distress. As such, when major states intervene abroad, they normally claim to do so in the name of universal values rather than selfish national interests.

 SUBJECTS: MILITARY
 

Lawrence Freedman is professor of war studies at the University of London's King's College and a member of the FOREIGN POLICY editorial board.