Introduction

Clausewitz saw war as an instrument to secure political aims when diplomacy fails. In the 21st century, however, the rise of hybrid wars, cyber conflicts, and economic coercion challenges this classical understanding, raising questions about how states pursue power, peace, and ethics in modern conflict.

Body

Arguments Supporting Clausewitz’s View

• War as a tool of geopolitical strategy: States continue to use war to achieve territorial, political, or security objectives.
  • Eg: Russia–Ukraine conflict (2022–present), where Russia uses war to assert strategic dominance and resist NATO expansion.
• Military means to secure national interest: When diplomacy fails, states resort to force to secure vital interests.
  • Eg: Israel–Hamas conflict (2023–25), where military action was used to protect security interests and negotiate ceasefire terms.
• Use of force as coercive diplomacy: War or threat of force is deployed as a bargaining tool to alter adversaries’ behavior.
  • Eg: China’s military posturing in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait acts as a continuation of diplomacy to assert sovereignty claims and strategic influence.

Limitations in the Present Context

• Nuclear deterrence: Risk of mutually assured destruction makes large-scale wars irrational.
  • Eg: Despite U.S.–Russia tensions, both avoid direct military confrontation.
• Rise of economic and technological warfare: States increasingly use sanctions, trade wars, and cyber operations instead of open war.
  • Eg: US and China tech rivalry over semiconductors and AI.
• Global interdependence: Economic globalization discourages conventional wars due to shared vulnerabilities.
  • Eg: Russia–Ukraine war triggered global food and energy crises affecting all nations.
• International law & institutions: UN, ICJ, WTO, and multilateral frameworks constrain open wars, pushing states towards diplomacy.
• Changing nature of conflict: Hybrid warfare, terrorism, and information wars blur war–peace boundaries, making Clausewitz’s linear view inadequate.
  • Eg: The 2020 Mumbai power grid cyber-attack.

Conclusion

Wars may still serve political ends, but in an age where humanity bears the heaviest costs, ethical statecraft calls for dialogue, cooperation, and fairness to guide decisions. War thus remains not only the last and costliest resort, but also the least moral path in the practice of politics.

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