Strategy, War, and Culture: #Reviewing Military Anthropology
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By Julian Koeck
June 26, 2019
War is a struggle with the intent of forcing one’s will on the enemy. War is, therefore, a deeply political act. In the words of Clausewitz: “War is a mere continuation of politics by other means.â€[1] Clausewitz thought mostly about inter-European war. However, every political interaction between states is an inter-cultural affair. Culture, in this sense, may be defined as a certain way of living, thinking, feeling, and acting that is immanent in a specific society.
Modern wars are often about changing other cultures. While many wars in history were about enrichment and honor, modern wars often pursue goals that aim at the annihilation of certain cultural traits like Prussian militarism after 1945 or the creation of new ones like a democratic way of life. The contemporary American wars of the 2000s are paradigmatic examples for this.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/06/26/strategy_war_and_culture_reviewing_military_anthropology_114536.html
