Israel warns: free soldier or PM dies.

[Endymion]

Hi Endymion, I am very familiar with the works of von Clausewitz and with Sun Tzu. The future will be one that of guerrila warfare all the way right up until WW III which is really tragical and very unfortunate.

An interesting thought. You are right in saying that the Clausewitz era and total war mindset is now in decline.

I think, however, that this is the nuclear age and not necessarily the guerrilla age. The possession of nuclear weapons changes the dynamics significantly. As of now, no two nuclear countries have engaged in full war, nor do I think that'll happen easily. The problem is that both countries would be effectively annihilated.

Perhaps when you talk about guerrilla tactics, we can apply their prevalence to the evolution of state armies. The function of state armies seems to have changed from the Clausewitz concept to a recent role in suppressing terrorism, raids, feuds and the like. We're probably not going to see a WWII-styled conflict again. If there is a WWIII, the tactics and the engagement strategies are going to be very different.

I am of the opinion that state armies are effective in curing the symptoms, but not curing the underlying problem (see terrorism). For example, many Chechen leaders in the Chechnya-Russia conflict have been killed. Despite Russian efforts, the Chechens and their peers will continue to find support and resources unless the social mechanisms cultivating support for the Chechens themselves change. The challenge for any country, its military force and its diplomatic repertoire is to figure out how to cure the cause while treating the symptoms.

 

[Heath]

An interesting thought. You are right in saying that the Clausewitz era and total war mindset is now in decline.

I think, however, that this is the nuclear age and not necessarily the guerrilla age. The possession of nuclear weapons changes the dynamics significantly. As of now, no two nuclear countries have engaged in full war, nor do I think that'll happen easily. The problem is that both countries would be effectively annihilated.

Perhaps when you talk about guerrilla tactics, we can apply their prevalence to the evolution of state armies. The function of state armies seems to have changed from the Clausewitz concept to a recent role in suppressing terrorism, raids, feuds and the like. We're probably not going to see a WWII-styled conflict again. If there is a WWIII, the tactics and the engagement strategies are going to be very different.

I am of the opinion that state armies are effective in curing the symptoms, but not curing the underlying problem (see terrorism). For example, many Chechen leaders in the Chechnya-Russia conflict have been killed. Despite Russian efforts, the Chechens and their peers will continue to find support and resources unless the social mechanisms cultivating support for the Chechens themselves change. The challenge for any country, its military force and its diplomatic repertoire is to figure out how to cure the cause while treating the symptoms.

Well said Endymion, and the Chechen culture has to change. The Chechens operate much in the same manner as the Palestinians do and to see what I mean go to http://www.pmw.org.il and click on the video t.v. library. That is the Palestinian culture which is very similiar to what is blared nightly on Chechen t.v. in Russia.