The Credo behind Making Sense of War
- Achieving stable and lasting peace requires a thorough comprehension of war, its provenance, prosecution and conclusion
- War – a coercive act designed to change the political balance between polities – hopefully for the better – should be seen as distinctive from warfare, the practice of using physical force or offensive action on the battlefield
- The primary responsibility of the state, or any polity – is the security of its citizens. The meaning of ‘Security’ has expanded over the past years, which may mask the primacy of physical security, freedom from attack or danger. The price of security is eternal vigilance. This responsibility cannot, and should not be avoided
- Although the state might do all it can to avoid war through diplomacy, soft power and treaties, should war be necessary (think of the Second World War), then the military needs to be well funded, well equipped, proficient and practised
- This last criterion does not necessarily mean engaging in offensive military actions, there being other activities that the military can perform in support of general security, such as Peace Support Operations and counterinsurgency