6200 - War and Statecraft

This course analyzes the distinctive and multi-faceted phenomenon of war, to include its character, conduct, nature, and scope; its military and non-military dimensions; and the ramifications of using violence to achieve political objectives. Simple dichotomies of war and peace are rejected here. Two central themes run throughout the course. First, examining the intersections between War and Statecraft, the course explores how war appears within, and also shapes, a political, economic, social and historical context. This approach offers insights into the complex, intertwined and multi-dimensional aspects of war, especially the causes of wars, their character and conduct, and their post-conflict challenges. Second, the study of history and theory affords an opportunity to examine how, like a state; war has aspects of both continuity and change over time. Beginning with the Peloponnesian War, students grapple with case studies in revolutionary war, industrial warfare, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and irregular warfare, up to the present day. The historical overview is interspersed with analyses of Clausewitz, Sun Zi, Mao Tse-Tung, and other classic theorists. The goal is to provide a solid theoretical foundation for developing and designing strategy, particularly understanding the military instrument of power and how it can be employed in combination with other instruments of statecraft in pursuit of political aims.