Each protagonist can influence the character of conflict and the way force is applied—war “is never an isolated act.”[22] Hybrid warfare is a response to the strength of overwhelming collective and conventional military overmatch possessed by western liberal democracies. These include making a determination that there has been a breach of the pace or act of aggression; require the parties concerned to comply with provisional measures; and imposition of sanctions. Lifting the paradoxical fog that enshrouds the trinity also enables us to see more clearly what Clausewitz meant by arguing war was “more than a true chameleon.” Not only can war’s character, its external aspects, change—so too can its internal elements. [21] Geneva Convention I, Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field; Geneva Convention II, Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea; Geneva Convention III, Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War; and Geneva Convention IV, Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Clausewitz divided the elements of war between the three elements, mainly passion, chance and reason. Hybrid warfare nests within the Clausewitzian trinity, with the calibrated employment of unconventional, irregular, and conventional military force designed to amplify uncertainty and friction and undermine the will of an adversary. Policy: War as an Instrument 150 5. However, in the case of the Geneva Conventions, the intent was to provide standard protections for non-combatants (i.e., civilians, medics, chaplains, aid workers, etc.) Accordingly, the trinity adds complication to Clausewitz’s politics–war nexus; it suggests that policy is not only in command, but rather a factor among others shaping war (Freedman 2011, 87). By situating the great Prussian in historical context, he presents a conception That intrinsic nature relates to the three primary tendencies of the trinity. Clausewitz describes war in holistic terms as a paradoxical trinity comprised of the tendencies of the people, the commander and his army, and the gov-ernment. [9] UN Charter, Preamble http://www.un.org/en/sections/history-united-nations-charter/1945-san-francisco-conference/index.html. and political aspects of war. This is the very subject the Geneva Conventions was created to deal with. [5] “[W]ar is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means.” Clausewitz, On War, 87. In choosing hybrid war, policy makers and strategists are demonstrating that war is still a useful tool for achieving national interests, but recognise that the risk of escalation must be mitigated. (19) For Clausewitz, the interactive nature of war produces a system driven by psychological forces and characterized by positive feedback, leading "in theory" to limitless extremes of mutual exertion and efforts to get the better of one another. [10] Article 42 of the Charter of the United Nations authorizes the use of force. [10] Nadia Schadlow, “The problem with hybrid warfare.” War on the rocks, April 2, 2015. https://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-problem-with-hybrid-warfare/. Clausewitz defined the concept of trinity in his book, ‘On War’ as consisting first of hatred, primordial violence and enmity. By this reasoning, the Cyber Security Trinity is a tactical concept, but it is found in a document supposedly outlining a strategy. This version of Clausewitz's concept was derived from a secondary discussion in which Clausewitz developed a linkage between his "remarkable trinity" of war (violent emotion, chance, and rational policy) and the social trinity of people, army, and government. [10] This is a fair criticism, but it does not help explain how irregular warfare tactics and conventional military operations provide some of the ways and means for strategic competition between revisionist or rising powers and the West. Ibid., Articles 1, 2, and 3. [4], Portrait of Clausewitz painted by Karl Wilhelm Wach (Wikimedia). Vom Kriege (German pronunciation: [fɔm ˈkʁiːɡə]) is a book on war and military strategy by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), written mostly after the Napoleonic wars, between 1816 and 1830, and published posthumously by his wife Marie von Brühl in 1832. Now, we are pleased to present one of the essays selected for honorable mention, from Julie Anna Glascott of the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. The point of Clausewitz’s trinity is that it is nonlinear and chaotic. He states, “If wars between civilized nations are far less cruel and destructive than wars between savages, the reason lies in the social conditions of the states themselves and their relationships with one another.”[19] In this passage, Clausewitz intimated that wars should not be conducted indiscriminately, but, rather, there should be instances when humans, through their governments, should limit their use of force against and among other humans. War, Clausewitz, and the Trinity Thomas Waldman Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Politics and International Studies Table … The acceleration and convergence of geopolitics, information, technology, data, and demographics has created a set of security challenges that increasingly blur the lines between these traditional concepts. The Trinity. Beyond the Rules of Engagement, this subservience is reflected in the concepts of military values and the profession of arms, both of which are attempts to regulate the passions of the professional soldier. [9] This general friction makes military forces less effective in combat and his prescription is experience. [29] Department of Defense Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms (2010, with change 2016) 207. The legal discipline recognizes this potential energy, foresees the damage they can inflict if left untended, and seeks to tame these war horses through the application of the law of war.[4]. [2] Attempts at explaining how militaries should operate in such an environment are not without controversy, exemplified by the term hybrid warfare. There are currently 193 state parties to the United Nations Charter. That intrinsic nature relates to the three primary tendencies of the trinity. In On War, Clausewitz emphasizes the central role politics plays in war. Jarrod Brook is an infantry officer in the Australian Army. [2] Alan Beyerchen, “Clausewitz, Nonlinearity, and the Unpredictability of War,” International Security 17 (Winter, 1992-1993) 69. The third and final horse to be contained is the army. War Clausewitz and the Trinity. But despite Clausewitz’s gift to the legal community, it appears the gift may have been unintended. In war, the most violent of social interactions—the three elements of Therefore, a Trinity focused on cyber is only applicable to warfare, whereas Clausewitz’s Trinity governs the conduct of war. Australia's Mighty Warhorses (National Geographic), Although it is convenient to speak of the trinity in its most basic components—the government, the people, and the army—to do so is to oversimplify the trinity and strip it of its vigor. [22] Ibid., Article 3. The logic for pursuing war is the sole purview of the government. [14] Of note is Clausewitz’s emphasis on the character of the commander and their army, suggesting culture, psychology, and ethos are critical to the way an army will behave. [20] Stacie L. Pettyjohn, Becca Wasser, Competing in the gray zone (Santa Monica: RAND Corporation), 29. A Prussian army officer and veteran of the Napoleonic Wars—including Prussia’s darkest hours during the 1806 Campaign, he lived through exciting military and intellectual times. Header Image: Still image from a commentary on the first Geneva Convention. The first horse to be constrained is the government. She has a bachelor of science degree in geological sciences (emphasis in paelobiology) from the University of California, Santa Barbara; a juris doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a Masters of Laws from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School. Once the extreme is no longer feared or aimed at, it becomes a matter of judgement what degree of effort should be applied.”[17]. AU - Waldman, Thomas. In this book, Waldman explores Clausewitz’s central theoretical device for understanding war - the ’remarkable trinity’ of politics, chance and passion. [20] There are four Geneva Conventions, one to cover each type of non-combatant; together, they serve to shield those not involved in war. Hybrid warfare as an extension of the Clausewitzian trinity is a neat frame that could be criticised for giving too much credit to a contested concept with vague origins. Tagged: Law of War, Rules of Engagement, Geneva Convention, United Nations, Just War Theory, Armistice Day: An Encounter at the Cenotaph, “Clausewitz, Nonlinearity, and the Unpredictability of War,”. However, some analysts have disputed this conclusion, stating to the contrary that it is Gerasimov accusing the West of employing indirect tactics to undermine regimes around the world. [1] Carl von Clausewitz, On War, trans. It is the reason why the modern military employs Rules of Engagement. [13] The Charter of the United Nations requires that countries, in consultation with one another, take measured actions to respond to “a threat to the peace, breach of peace, or act of aggression.”[14] Although the Charter of the United Nations explicitly allows for self-defense, it requires the retaliating country to report the force to the Security Council, so further efforts to restore peace are coordinated among the members. Thomas Waldman’s War, Clausewitz and the Trinity is a convincing antidote to this one-dimensional view, focusing on the conceptual trinity that Clausewitz argued makes up war: passion, chance, and politics. Using Clausewitz and his study of war to examine hybrid warfare, it is unavoidable to address the application of violence and the notion of an interaction between two opposing forces. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right to self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council.”, [19] Ibid., 76. Clausewitz’s brief (five-paragraph, 300-word) discussion of the “trinity”—an interactive set of three forces that collectively and interactively drive the events of war in the real world—represents the capstone of Clausewitzian theory. (International Committee of the Red Cross). [10] Clausewitz frames all war as an instrument of policy, where statesmen and commanders are “choosing the kind of war they are embarking upon, not alien to its true nature.” From this observation, war, and the predicted absolute manifestation of violence, is moderated by policy. (Princeton: Princeton University Press), 1989. p 89. 2 as war’s ‘paradoxical’ , ‘wonderful’ , ‘remarkable’ or ‘fascinating’ trinity. Thomas Waldman. As the synthesis of his dialectic on the nature of war, the Trinity incorporates but also supersedes Clausewitz’s antithesis, i.e., the famous dictum that war is “merely the continuation of Politik by other means.” That antithesis is almost always treated as if it were … Follow the logo below, and you too can contribute to The Bridge: Enjoy what you just read? Hybrid war conforms to Clausewitz’s thoughts, insofar as violence is moderated by policy considerations and the relative worth of the desired political objective. [15] Ibid., Chapter VII, Article 51. Prussian Carl von Clausewitz’s meta-theoretical concept known as the Trinity has the potential to serve as an analytical vehicle to understand war in both a historical and contemporary context. and of its element of subordination, as an instrument of policy. [12] David Carment, Dani Belo, War’s future: The Risks and Rewards of Grey Zone Conflict and Hybrid Warfare (Calgary: Canadian Global Affairs Institute), p 7-8. Hybrid warfare offers an operational model that provides a deniable, undeclared, and cost effective means of achieving policy objectives. Clausewitz frames all war as an instrument of policy, where statesmen and commanders are “choosing the kind of war they are embarking upon, not alien to its true nature.”[8] From this observation, war, and the predicted absolute manifestation of violence, is moderated by policy. Clausewitz highlights that, at all times, the army is subordinate to the civilian government when he states, “The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and means can never be considered in isolation of their purpose.”[24] Despite this subordination, soldiers in armies train to fight wars. Clausewitz: 19th century wisdom, 21st century relevance "On War". The book is an Today, the ideas of Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) are employed almost ubiquitously in strategic studies, military history and defence literatures, but often in a manner which distorts their true meaning. Second, since much of the criticism and discussion about On War revolves around the notion that the nature of war has changed, either because of a shift from state to non-state actors or rather because of the ways and me… Tagged: Clausewitz, Hybrid Warfare, Gray Zone, Clausewitz, the Trinity, and the Utility of Hybrid War, #Reviewing Race and the Cold War in Africa. Hybrid warfare reflects the current geopolitical environment and other influences on the conduct of war, where states seek to exploit passion, chance, and reason, and amplify friction and uncertainty. This simile seems incongruent with his description of the points of the trinity. [20] International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva Conventions and Commentaries. Clausewitz: The Trinity of War Carl von Clausewitz is regarded as one of the foremost philosophers of war to have ever lived. First, it is the synthesis of his dialectical exploration of … Have a response or an idea for your own article? [viii] Clausewitz writes a “systematic theory of war, full of intelligence and substance,” [ix] which goes far beyond the rational nature of an instrument of policy and defines its inherent characteristics. . [23] In so doing, and to the greatest extent possible, the Geneva Conventions seeks to channel the raw energy of combatants towards legitimate targets of war, and away from its victims. [1] Competition is distorting the difference between war and peace, with states conducting military operations that employ blended tactics and operational approaches. Header Image: Russia’s Hybrid Warfare (Stratfor), [1] Australian Army, Army’s Contribution to Defence Strategy (Australia: Department of Defence, 2019), 18, https://www.army.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/armyscontributiontodefencestrategy-screen.pdf. By situating the Today, the ideas of Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) are employed almost ubiquitously in strategic studies, military history and defence literatures, but often in a manner which distorts their true meaning. “On not-so-new warfare: political warfare vs hybrid threats.” War on the rocks, July 28, 2014. https://warontherocks.com/2014/07/on-not-so-new-warfare-political-warfare-vs-hybrid-threats/. Chance: The Realm of Uncertainty 210 6. Military. As Clausewitz himself put it, ‘War is a continuation of policy by other means.’ Clausewitz published his treatise On War in 1832. In comparing war to a chameleon Clausewitz is suggesting that war’s character, the ‘face of war’ – is in constant flux, even though its inner nature remains unchanged. A U.S. Army medic treats an Afghan child for a sunburn in the village of Meryanay Kherwar District, Logar province, Afghanistan, April 9. Iraq provides just one example of a war that has generated a good deal of passionate dissent among Western electorates. With hybrid warfare offering a means to avoid this direct interaction where possible, there is legitimate criticism of the concept. [13] Rod Thornton, “The changing nature of modern warfare”, The RUSI Journal, 106:4: 42 – 43. [4] In On War, Clauswitz likens his trinity as three magnets. He states, “[o]ur task therefore is to develop a theory that maintains a balance between these three tendencies, like an object suspended between three magnets.” Ibid. The three elements of the Clausewitzian trinity highlight that amplifying uncertainty and friction produces indecision and paralysis in an adversary. In this book, Waldman explores Clausewitz’s central theoretical device for understanding war - the ’remarkable trinity’ of politics, chance and passion. 2 Comments on Clausewitz and the Trinity of War Carl von Clausewitz is regarded as one of the foremost philosophers of war to have ever lived. [12] Furthemore, it amplifies narratives that support strategic objectives and create uncertainty among the people in support of the operational design.[13]. None of these can be said to be imperceptible in modern times. In the shadow of a ravaged world defiled by war, thirty-eight nations sought to save “succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”[9] But even after witnessing some of the greatest atrocities, these countries still recognized war remained a viable political tool, which should be employed only to restore peace and only when no other option is available. Context and Circumstance 98 4. Employing this logic, hybrid warfare should be considered on its merit as part of the character of war. Advocates of hybrid warfare posit this concept explains the application of military force below the threshold of war to achieve political goals. [9], General Valery Gerasimov (Evgeny Biyatov/Sputnik). Conclusion of World war II, 2014. https: //foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/05/im-sorry-for-creating-the-gerasimov-doctrine/ avoid this direct interaction possible... Clausewitz: the trinity does of course assume that that the trinity western armies is to convert this conventional into. 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