Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

Starting with a Blank Sheet: Principles of War for a New Century
if not most of our ground-oriented strategy in Iraq has served to undermine those Islamic
moderates, not help <strong>the</strong>m.
11. Purpose. I initially rejected <strong>the</strong> inclusion of this principle, largely because it has been so
misunderstood by so many people. It seemed to me that including it here would do more
harm than good. I have been persuaded to change my mind, but have put it last on my list
as a way of signifying my reticence.
Virtually everything a rational human being does is guided by a sense of purpose, even
if that purpose is obscure, ill-advised, self-destructive, or made under pressure. War is no
exception. It has become almost an article of faith, if not fact, that in western countries this
purpose, which is used to justify <strong>the</strong> use of military force, must be based on policy/politics.
In o<strong>the</strong>r words, <strong>the</strong> use of military force is determined by politicians, not those in uniform,
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> politicians should base <strong>the</strong>ir decision to use force on rational reasons of state
policy. In my view, this is not only a peculiarly western notion, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>refore lacking in
universality, but in practice it is often twisted <strong>and</strong> distorted so as to become meaningless.
Let me explain.
Adolf Hitler was <strong>the</strong> political head of Nazi Germany, elected to this position in 1933. A
few years later he embarked on a series of military operations to conquer <strong>and</strong> enslave
most of Europe, while also attempting to exterminate <strong>the</strong> Jewish race. Hitler’s stated
political purposes for <strong>the</strong>se actions were to redress <strong>the</strong> injustices of <strong>the</strong> Versailles Treaty,
to gain living space for <strong>the</strong> Germanic people, <strong>and</strong> to purge <strong>the</strong> world of heinous enemies
of <strong>the</strong> state. Joseph Stalin, a communist dictator, invaded Pol<strong>and</strong>, Finl<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Baltic
states while serving as an ally of Hitler, <strong>and</strong> slaughtered tens of thous<strong>and</strong>s of people
in <strong>the</strong> process. Stalin’s political purposes were to gain a buffer zone against that very
same German ally, which he mistrusted, to regain territory that had been held by <strong>the</strong>
tsars <strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong>refore “belonged” to Russia, <strong>and</strong> to obtain ports on <strong>the</strong> Baltic Sea. The
Japanese regime led by Hideki Tojo invaded Manchuria, overran Indochina, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>n
brutally conquered, among o<strong>the</strong>r places, <strong>the</strong> Dutch Indies, Malaysia <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philippines.
The political purposes used to justify <strong>the</strong>se conquests were to extend Japanese influence,
secure natural resources unavailable in <strong>the</strong> Home Isl<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> to enhance a sense of
national pride that had been slighted by western nations in <strong>the</strong> past.
To cite two more modern examples: in 1998 President Bill Clinton launched air
strikes against Iraq for <strong>the</strong> express political purpose of punishing Saddam Hussein’s
regime for expelling <strong>the</strong> United Nations nuclear inspection team. There were some,
however, who saw President Clinton’s political purpose as one that reflected domestic,
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<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror”