FROM Europe to the extreme southern outpost of South America and around Southeast Asia, the world is at war. World War II was fought between two groups of countries. On one side were the Axis powers, including Germany, Italy and Japan. On the other side were the Allies, led by the United States of America and the United Kingdom. However, by 1945, almost every sovereign nation on earth had declared a legal war against nations of either the Axis or the Allies.
Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military theorist who lived and wrote in the early 19 century, his most notable work being Vom Kriege (On War), on the philosophy of war. While the Chinese general Sun Tzu’s treatise The Art of War might be considered a “how-to” book, von Clausewitz’s was more of a “why” book.
There have been many misinterpretations of von Clausewitz, primarily because of his dialectical method of writing, which is almost a conversation between two people of opposing views. But many of his basic statements are simple to understand. He wrote, “War, therefore, is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will” and “War is merely the continuation of policy by other means.”
While the use of armed force is still common today, civilization has “advanced” using the pen as often as the sword.
Russia annexed Crimea with the justification of a vote of the people asking for inclusion in Russian Federation. In 1982 the UK and Argentina fought a 74-day war over the Falkland Islands, with nearly 1,000 killed. Two weeks ago, an Argentinian judge ordered the seizure of assets of oil-drilling companies operating in the disputed Falkland Islands.
The Philippines and China are at “war” over territory in the waters off our country, but it will first be fought at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Greece is at war with the government of the European Union (EU), and its allies at the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank over who will control the Greek economy and to keep Greece from leaving the EU.
The EU has not marched troops into the streets of Athens nor has China taken direct military action against the Philippines yet. But many of the other aspects of an armed conflict are already in place. Greek playwright Aeschylus wrote 2,500 years ago, “In war, truth is the first casualty.” Propaganda is an instrument of war.
The EU is bombarding Greece with warnings of economic Armageddon if Greeks do not capitulate to EU demands. China calls the Philippines a “cute little submissive” of the US, and its reclaimed islands are nothing more than solar-powered installations for “maritime search and rescue, and environmental conservation and scientific research.”
These are dangerous times, even if bullets are not flying and bombs are not falling.