Politics and War in Historical and Theoretical Perspective. With EU Case Study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the dominant theoretical paradigms and show their sustainability in the last 150 years, following the historical context of the interrelationship between politics and war. Starting from Clausewitz’s thesis on war as a continuation of politics by other, violent means, the paper thematizes the dominant wars in the twentieth century, World War I and II, their causes and connection with politics, which proves to be an essential element of every war. Namely, war has always been the consequence of political decisions and as such a significant political tool for achieving a certain goal. In this context, the Cold War period unequivocally confirms Clausewitz’s realist thesis, showing that war is not necessarily an armed conflict, but that it is nonetheless a political matter. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, realism and liberalism regained prominence and emerged as significant theories on war and security. Both theories have their roots in the twentieth century, and therefore their paradigm becomes insufficient to answer the new questions posed by the nature of interdependent world. Nevertheless, these theories, especially liberalism, show their practical application and stand at the core of the ideological basis for the formation of the European Union. In this sense, Europe, after centuries of wars fought on its soil, displays the possibility of successful cooperation. As a result, war appears not only as a continuation of politics by violent means, but as a constituent element of systems and states in the modern world.