Small Wars in the Age of Clausewitz: The Watershed Between Partisan War and People's War

Heuser, Béatrice

doi:10.1080/01402391003603623

Cited by 45 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…A century later, the chief of operations of the German Reichswehr army, Chief of Staff Joachim von Stülpnagel, had remarkably similar views regarding future war: perceived inevitable, it would result in either victory or catastrophe. Like Clausewitz (Heuser 2010b), Stülpnagel advocated arming the people. Yet, again like Clausewitz, he expected the outcome of the war to be nothing less than honorable self-destruction (Vardi 2010: 200-201).…”

Section: War As Nothing But a Duelmentioning

confidence: 99%

War as nothing but a duel: war as an institution and the construction of the Western military profession

Käihkö

2018

Journal of Military Studies

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Like all repetitive human interaction, even war has been institutionalized and fought according to conventions and norms. Historically, this institutionalization is apparent from the way war has been compared to the duel, first in the 14th century and most famously by Carl von Clausewitz 5 centuries later. This article continues this train of thought and argues that the observed limits of Western “professional orthodoxy” and “strategic vocabulary” can be traced to how war has been institutionalized by the military profession. This offers an alternative explanation to the prevailing views of why the West has struggled in contemporary wars: it is the fundamental mismatch between these professional norms in the West and those held by their opponents that forms the biggest asymmetry in contemporary war. As this asymmetry is unlikely to disappear, these professional norms need to be reconsidered: just like the aristocracy with the duel by the late 19th century, the Western military profession appears stuck in an institution that is increasingly becoming obsolete. Without such reconsideration, the attainment of decision – the central strategic objective in war – and hence victory in future wars will remain uncertain.

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Section: War As Nothing But a Duelmentioning

confidence: 99%

War as nothing but a duel: war as an institution and the construction of the Western military profession

Käihkö

2018

Journal of Military Studies

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“…90 Clausewitz proposed adopting this guerrilla policy in Prussia after the defeat of Prussia's conventional army. 91 This advice constituted a fundamental change from the conception of guerrilla warfare as a small adjunct to conventional forces to the possibility of a war amongst the people. The nascent potential was present in the American Revolution, although the leaders of the newborn state chose to avoid such a revolutionary strategy.…”

Section: Advances In Irregular Warfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Special Operations, Irregular Warfare, and Operational Art: A Theory of Special Operations

Harris¹

2013

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“…Beatrice Heuser is one scholar who falls into the latter category. 25 Heuser finds that while parts of Clausewitz's key sections in both his classic On War and in his translated lectures are obsessed with light infantry and light cavalry operations in dealing with materially inferior and elusive opponents, another important part of his focus is on the role of ideology in rendering small wars on the battlefield into popular wars in the minds of local populations. In an insightful quote, Clausewitz explains away the insurgent's willingness to sacrifice his or her life in place of good salaries in a uniformed armed force: ''The fight for the Fatherland is the most beautiful reward for merit, the greatest attraction for talent.''…”

Section: State Of Research On Small Wars: Still Fingering the Pulsementioning

confidence: 99%

Waging “Small Wars” in the New Millennium

Ong

Chong

2013

Armed Forces & Society

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“Small wars” have returned to the international political agenda in the early twentieth century with almost a vengeance. Leaving aside the factors of social media and satellite television today, the nature of small wars has adhered to its politicized, xenophobic, and asymmetrical characteristics. The latter were predicted by British and American military manuals produced in the early to middle twentieth century. This special issue aims to revisit the nature of small wars in the era of great power interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya in the 2000s. It will be apparent that two further characteristics need to be appended to small wars: chameleonic missions and virtual aggression.

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Small Wars in the Age of Clausewitz: The Watershed Between Partisan War and People's War

Cited by 45 publications

References 7 publications

War as nothing but a duel: war as an institution and the construction of the Western military profession

War as nothing but a duel: war as an institution and the construction of the Western military profession

Special Operations, Irregular Warfare, and Operational Art: A Theory of Special Operations

Waging “Small Wars” in the New Millennium

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