The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare

E99: Applying Friction and the Trinity for contemporary War and Peace

Clausewitz’s descriptions of friction, taken with the often antagonistic interplay among his trinity of passion, policy, and probability, keep war in theory separate from war in practice. How does this look in real war? In this episode, I make my best guess about how friction and chaotic trinity might affect Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.

If you missed the previous two episodes, I recommend that you take the time to do so before listening to this one.

• E97: Friction in War

https://admin5.podbean.com/mayhemxpc/episodes/form/00XlnMhGdsld

• E98: The Paradoxical Trinity of War (and Peace)

https://admin5.podbean.com/mayhemxpc/episodes/form/zpdgaRh85TV2

 

Reference:

• Clausewitz, C. On War, Book One, Chapter One

(Note that I do not cite a specific publication of On War. I use different translations and the original German. Find a version that work best for you.)

 

Music:

• Liszt, F. Totentanz; Nebolsin, Eldar(piano), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Petrenko, Vasily (Conductor) https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.570517  (Chosen because I was looking for chaotic music.)

• The Army Strings, GarryOwen (Traditional) (Public Domain)

 

The Paradoxical Trinity of War (and Peace)

Clausewitz wrote that there are three forces at work when a nation goes to war: “unbridled passion,” reason, and the play of chance and probability. Things only work well when each of these is held in equilibrium by the other two. The people, the government, and the military represent these forces and the government should, in theory, maintain that equilibrium. In practice, this never happens. Instead, the interplay among these is random and seemingly chaotic. Each aspect of the nation and the force it represents, must deal with friction within their group and friction from and within the other groups. The pendulum that swings among these power centers is also influenced by external forces including, but certainly not limited to, the enemy. This, with the friction described in the previous episode, adds to the apparent irrationality of war and generates diversions along the path to peace.

 

Reference:

• Clausewitz, C. On War, Book One, Chapter One

(Note that I do not cite a specific publication of On War. I use different translations and the original German. Find a version that work best for you.)

• Randomly Oscillating Magnetic Pendulum (from the clausewitz.com website.): https://www.clausewitz.com/MP4/romp2.mp4

Music: (Chosen because I was looking for chaotic music.)

• Liszt, F. Totentanz; Nebolsin, Eldar (piano), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Petrenko, Vasily (Conductor) https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.570517

E97: Friction in War

War is really very simple, but Clausewitz cautioned that by saying that in war, even the simplest thing is difficult, sometime insurmountable. This idea, which he called “Friction” he maintained was the one thing that made war in theory different from war in practice. The elements that create friction in war also apply to the effort to move from war to peace; and the primary source of friction? Human nature.

 

Music:

Wagner, R. and the USMC Band, Siegfried’s Funeral (Public Domain)

The Army Strings, GarryOwen (Traditional) (Public Domain)

Kilstoff, Jan, The Cavalry (Licensed)

E96: What is Peace?

If the only acceptable outcome of war is a peace, and the only sustainable peace is a just peace, then it is essential to answer the question, “what is peace?” This is a simple question, but without a simple answer. It has been debated from Plato up until the present day. This lack of definition may be one reason why the transition from war to peace is so difficult.

Music:

• Holst, G: The Planets, Mars, the Bringer of War (Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/GustavHolstThePlanetsMarsTheBringerOfWar_201709)
• Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)
• Wagner, R. and USMC Band, Siegfried’s Funeral March, Public Domain.

Disclaimer: The information in these podcasts is my own analysis and opinion and does not represent the views of the Department of Defense or any organization I am or have been affiliated with.

E95: Justum Pacem

The subject of Just War, or Justum Bellum, is a frequent topic in these podcasts. If, however, the only acceptable justification for any war is to establish a more just and lasting peace, shouldn’t there be a similar framework for Just Peace, or Justum Pacem? Just War theory goes back to Plato and Aristotle, but Just Peace thinking is a product of the last century. Despite a lack of concrete formulation, past examples of successful post-conflict transitions included efforts to establish a just peace. Sadly, there are more examples of unjust peace, which -- as Immanuel Kant noted -- plants the seeds of future war.

 

Music:

• Liszt, Les Preludes, perfomed by the USMC Band. Public Domain
• Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)
• Mozart, W. A. and Karajan, K., The Requiem Mass In D Minor, Introitus, K.626, (1941), downloaded from The Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/12-bruno-kittel-mozart-requiem-agnus-dei-polydor-1941_202308

Photo:

Perpetual Peace Lily, Aganpanthus Africanus (Wikimedia Commons)

 

E94: Fighting a War that leads to Peaace

In Chapter 17 of the Prince, Nicolo Machiavelli wrote that a prince ought to desire to be thought of as clement and not cruel. It is more important, he said, to generate a respectful fear which, in then end, is actually more merciful than those who pursue reputations of mercy. Under no circumstances, however, should the prince become hated. This concept also applies to war, moving from war to peace, and the justice sustained peace requires.

Music:

• Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)
• Copland, A. & United States Marine Band. (2000) Fanfare for the Common Man. unpublished, Washington, DC. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, (Fair use for educational purposes.)
• Verdelot, P. and Machiavelli, N. O Dolce Nocte (1547) downloaded from ChoralWiki/CPDL

 

E93 Starting on the Path to Peace

Just as it takes two parties to agree to fight a war, it takes both parties to agree to peace. Getting both warring parties to agree to peace sometimes requires a third party. This third party provides “good offices” to help both sides agree on what peace should look like. It also helps when each party understands the political objectives of the others – and the “disinterested” third party has its political objectives, too!

 

Music:

• Wagner, R. and USMC Band, Siegfried Funeral and Goetterdammurung (Public Domain)
• Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)
• Copland, A. & United States Marine Band. (2000) Fanfare for the Common Man. unpublished, Washington, DC. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, (Fair use for educational purposes.)

 

Image: Bakhmut, Ukraine; Ukrainian Army Photo

E92 Deciding to End War

Ending a war begins when one side or the other believes that the cost of continuing to fight exceeds any expectations of success. This could be a simple cost benefit calculation, it could be that continuing to fight after a major defeat is unlikely to bring success, or that the war aims have already been achieved and any further violence is unjustified. In each case, one side or another has to make the decision to seek peace, or at least to end the fighting. That decision, however necessary, is only one step on the difficult path to bring peace out of war (and it isn’t even the first step.)

Music:

• The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, Soldiers Farewell Fanfare/Montezuma/March of War/Windsor Park, (Public Domain)
• Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)

Image: Bakhmut, Ukraine; Ukrainian Army Photo

E91 From War to Peace

My podcasts on The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare presented the elements of war that I think every citizen should know in holding our elected representatives responsible for decisions about going to and prosecuting war. The time has come in this series to move from war to peace. The most important consideration in going to and in prosecuting war is that it is the only way to correct a grave injustice and bring about a more just and lasting peace. Correcting this grave injustice must outweigh the death and destruction unavoidable in any war. Defending against the unjust attack of an aggressor and repelling the attacker’s forces from the territory captured in that attack is, perhaps the only clear justification, although there is debate about the use of military force to stop grave violations of international law, and particularly those which could be considered crimes against humanity. Again, this must be done with the clear end state in view of restoring peace.  Once the iron dice of war are rolled, however, Clausewitz’s trinity of passion, reason, and chance can lead us to places we did not intend to go.  These closing episodes of the Ancient Art of Modern Warfare we explore the transition from the violence of war to that more just peace.

 

Music:

Copland, A. & United States Marine Band. (2000) Fanfare for the Common Man. unpublished, Washington, DC. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, (Fair use for educational purposes.)

Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)

Lennon, J, (1969) performed by COL C Mayer, USA RET; Maj. D. Mayer, CAP; 2d Lt M. Mayer, USAF; and PFC C. Mayer, USA (2024) Give Peace a Chance (Fair use for educational purposes.)

Thucydudes and the Ancient Art of Modern Warfare

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” So begins L.P. Hartley’s book, The Go-Between. Although the way people do things changes over time, what they do remains largely the same. War and politics are human endeavors, and human nature is unchanging. It should be no surprise, therefore, that the nature of war and politics is also unchanging. That is the point of these podcasts. The first objective history of war, the war between Athens and Sparta in the 5^th century BC was chronicled by the Greek general Thucydides. Although the way the armies and navies fought then are much different than today, the overall campaigns and reasons for those campaign are strikingly similar to modern strategy. Thucydides’ observations provide lessons for us, even today, if we are just willing to learn from them. This why his work is still studied in our war colleges.  

Music:

Rodgers and R.R. Bennett, Fire on the Water/Victory at Sea Suite (Public Domain/Fair use for educational purposes)

 

Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain)

 

Copland, A. & United States Marine Band. (2000) Fanfare for the Common Man. unpublished, Washington, DC. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, (Fair use for educational purposes.)