What is War? Some Reflections on a Contested Concept
Dec 2007, Vol. 152, No. 6
By Jeremy Black
The salient character of the question ‘What is war?’ is palpable in today’s world. Aside from the key issue of the ‘war on terror’ – which guides current attempts to discuss the subject, introducing a somewhat disproportionate coverage – there are now a whole host of ‘non-traditional conflicts’ to which the term ‘war’ is applied. These include war on drugs, war on crime, the battle of the sexes, generational conflict, culture wars and history wars. This is not a complete list. Moreover, it can be expanded if other languages and cultures are considered. War, if not bellicosity, has therefore entered the language as part of an assessment of all relationships focused on power, confrontation and force.
Whether or not that is appropriate, it calls for the abstracting of warfare from the language of war. Here I shall propose to offer a working definition, examine a few of the many analytical problems with defining war, and conclude with some suggestions.
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By Jeremy Black
The salient character of the question ‘What is war?’ is palpable in today’s world. Aside from the key issue of the ‘war on terror’ – which guides current attempts to discuss the subject, introducing a somewhat disproportionate coverage – there are now a whole host of ‘non-traditional conflicts’ to which the term ‘war’ is applied. These include war on drugs, war on crime, the battle of the sexes, generational conflict, culture wars and history wars. This is not a complete list. Moreover, it can be expanded if other languages and cultures are considered. War, if not bellicosity, has therefore entered the language as part of an assessment of all relationships focused on power, confrontation and force.
Whether or not that is appropriate, it calls for the abstracting of warfare from the language of war. Here I shall propose to offer a working definition, examine a few of the many analytical problems with defining war, and conclude with some suggestions.
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