Peace Enforcement: A War by Any Other Name...

摘要

Carl von Clausewitz in his classic work, 'On War,' made the important point that '...every age had its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions, and its own peculiar preconceptions.' A distinctively different type of conflict looms as 'our kind of war' in the post-Cold War era. This new kind of war would involve the introduction of United Nations (UN) or international coalition military units to 'force' belligerents to end an unresolved conflict. The term 'peace enforcement' will be used herein as the name for conflict of this type. This essay will use portions of Clausewitz's classical theory of war to characterize this new kind of conflict. Specifically, his thoughts on political objectives, military aims, and strategy will be used to help define this new style of war. To some, the use of military force to enforce peace may be unfamiliar, and others may not willingly characterize it as a form of war. Therefore, before moving directly to the theoretical, the author will define 'peace enforcement' and support the assertion that it can be considered a form of war in Clausewitzian theory.