This seminar examines how states wage war as an instrument of policy. Much of political science research on international security seeks to explain why states go to war, or how they can prevent wars - but this class examines what happens during those wars. How can a state harness military force to achieve its political goals, and how does the state try to manage the messy reality of conflict? The seminar offers students a grounding in Carl von Clausewitz's canonical philosophy of war, and extends that with an introduction to contemporary international security scholarship on civil-military relations, military effectiveness, just war, and technology in war. It illustrates these concepts with historical case studies of modern conflict, from the world wars to the recent conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Iran. It also includes some first-person accounts and fictional accounts that provide vivid illustrations to supplement academic texts. The course begins with an in-depth examination of Clausewitz's "trinity": the interaction between the state's policy, chance and complexity on the battlefield, and the passions and suffering of the people. We then expand the aperture to survey different types of war, from conventional operations, to sub-conventional operations such as insurgency, to the impact of nuclear weapons on warfighting. Finally, we examine the various attempts to tame war, through laws and norms of just war and new technologies, and what this means for democratic societies.
5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
This seminar examines how states wage war as an instrument of policy. Much of political science research on international security seeks to explain why states go to war, or how they can prevent wars - but this class examines what happens during those wars. How can a state harness military force to achieve its political goals, and how does the state try to manage the messy reality of conflict? The seminar offers students a grounding in Carl von Clausewitz's canonical philosophy of war, and extends that with an introduction to contemporary international security scholarship on civil-military relations, military effectiveness, just war, and technology in war. It illustrates these concepts with historical case studies of modern conflict, from the world wars to the recent conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Iran. It also includes some first-person accounts and fictional accounts that provide vivid illustrations to supplement academic texts. The course begins with an in-depth examination of Clausewitz's "trinity": the interaction between the state's policy, chance and complexity on the battlefield, and the passions and suffering of the people. We then expand the aperture to survey different types of war, from conventional operations, to sub-conventional operations such as insurgency, to the impact of nuclear weapons on warfighting. Finally, we examine the various attempts to tame war, through laws and norms of just war and new technologies, and what this means for democratic societies.
Offered in Winter 2027 at Stanford University.