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On the Clausewitz of the Cold War: Reconsidering the Primacy of Policy in On War

U.S. Army War College, Antulio.Echevarria{at}us.army.mil

Throughout the Cold War, scholars gave considerable privilege to Clausewitz's observation that war is the "mere continuation of political activity (Politik) by other means." It is often referred to in intellectual shorthand as the primacy of policy. This article questions the extent to which emphasis on the primacy of policy has been overstressed, influenced perhaps by the strategic context of the Cold War. Clausewitz's trinitarian concept of war—hostility, chance, political purpose—which appears in what scholars generally agree is On War's only finished chapter, does not portray policy as more dominant than the other tendencies; instead, it presents them as equals, stressing only each one's uniqueness in relation to the others. Reinterpreting policy as equal to the other two aspects of the trinity tends to strengthen the relevance of Clausewitz's overall theory to contemporary wars.

Key Words: Clausewitz • primacy of policy • war and politics • war and policy • Clausewitzian trinity

Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 34, No. 1, 90-108 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0002764206294175


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