Dear Researchers and Academics;
I have been working in the real world sectors' investments research subject.
There are some critical issues that I have to study and present about the wars.
I have some doubts about the way of the research study and its presentation regarding some points such as humanitarian and ethical.
Could you please share your experience and guidance on this subject?
I would like to thank to you in advance for your contribution.
Best Regards
Burak Omer Saracoglu
Hi Burak,
I'm not sure if I understand your question correctly, but if you're asking how war has been studied academically and how it can be presented/defined, then I might be able to help.
Although the past decades has seen considerable debate on his contemporary relevance (e.g. Kaldor; Van Creveld), in my opinion the Prussian theorist of war Carl von Clausewitz is still the best starting point for learning about war's essential nature. Of course it's a bit strange that the study of war is still using a book published over 170 years ago, yet Clausewitz's insights on how war can be understood have proven timeless. While he does not concern himself with ethical or humanitarian issues, I think his treatment of what war is essentially about might be of use to you.
Clausewitz died before being able to complete revisions on his best known book; On War. Luckily, the part he did consider complete contains the information that I'm referring to. In chapter 1 of book 1, Clausewitz uses a dialectical approach to study war's fundamental essence. He begins by positing his thesis that war is a contest of strength in which both sides will use all the means at their disposal to best each other, leading to unlimited escalation of violence. He continues with his antithesis that war in reality looks quite different; political goals and a host of unforeseen circumstances (friction) keep war from reaching such absolute or extreme levels. He finishes his analysis by bringing these insights together in his famous 'trinity', arguing that war's timeless characteristics are violence, chance and rational purpose.
If you are indeed looking for more information on the academic study of war and how it can be conceptualized, I would recommend taking a look at the very complete website on Clausewitz: www.clausewitz.com. If this is completely not what you're looking for, I apologize :-)
Best,
Bart
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