On Will and War
Douglas A. Ollivant
June 17, 2019
Commentary
“Will†may be the most underexamined term of art in security studies. A traditional construct holds that both “opportunity†and “willingness†are necessary for action in international engagements. While this seems maddeningly obvious, most defense analysts focus on the opportunity — capacity and capabilities — when the willingness is far more crucial. Even when assessed, it is often reduced to the “will to fight†— such a bland military vernacular as to be almost meaningless. While “will†is included by Carl von Clausewitz in the very definition of war — “an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will†— and as a key component in the enemy’s power of resistance — “the total means at his disposal and the strength of the will†— the term remains undefined. It is implicit that “will†involves physical and moral ability to both act and resist, but that is as far as Clausewitz takes us. Indeed, even Raymond Aron concedes: “the will to resist cannot be measured.â€
https://warontherocks.com/2019/06/on-will-and-war/
