Despite their — thankful — rarity, wars remain the defining event of international relations. The modern nation-state and international system is a product of war. The current distribution of power and ideas are products of past conflicts. War, or the threat of war, underpins the vast majority of diplomatic interactions and outcomes. Yet, war receives little direct academic attention (especially at the undergraduate level).

This website and its companion course examines war and warfare: philosophically, operationally, and most importantly — politically. War is a political event. It is a political contest. Politics and the pursuit of political objectives must be kept at the forefront of any examination and/or discussion about war, military operations, and strategy. The study of this topic should illuminate how and whether the use of military force represents (or represented) the best mechanism for achieving lasting political success (that is, peace).