Introduction
War refers to a protracted conflict between two or more groups for political, social, cultural, or economic motivations. In military terms, the war refers to hostilities between two contending parties from which the outcome cannot be predetermined because of similar military might and conditions. Various theories exist to explain the art of war between nations and groups (Vego, 2011). Antoine Henri Jomini is one of the famous theorists, whose work, The Art of War, influenced the research and military encounters in most Western countries in the 19th century (Dighton, 2018). This paper analyzes the impact of Jomini’s theories on warfare since 1815. Notably, the paper will evaluate the relationship between this theory and the ‘Western Way of War.’
The Jomini Theory
Antoine Jomini is regarded as a direct competitor to Carl von Clausewitz’s perspective on warfare. His works were a direct opposition to Carl’s positions and did this deliberately to be recognized and published. Jomini’s basic premise is that war is a science on the same elevated level as religion (Dighton, 2018). However, his assertions that war is controllable made his works influential despite not being usually recognized.
Jomini’s Maxims of war
Jomini’s approach identified four maxims to direct military operations. His strategic disposition is the organization of war around an identified map with a command that comprehends all types of operations (Shy, 2010). The four maxims are:
- Deploy the army on strategic points
- Maneuver to engage in attacking enemy infractions
- Tactics; deploying mass against fractions on strategic points
- Attack at the appropriate time and right energy
For Jomini, his strategy was all about winning a war, unlike Carl’s focus on the essence of the war. The two theorists also differ on the scope of warfare, with Jomini focusing more on war by rules while Carl was more philosophical, approaching war with reason, violence, and chance.
Impact of Jomini’s approach to past wars
Jomini was a charismatic writer whose writings influenced military literature and encounters in many years. Carl von Clausewitz describes him as an intelligence scholar whose descriptive and didactic description reflected his effective description of strategic geographic terms such as critical points, bases, and strategic lines (Calhoun, 2011). Before the American civil war (1861-1865), a few military schools were taught in popular military schools. Jomini’s theory was the only one taught at the American Military Academy; the graduates used the geometric strategy to think and execute counter-plans during the war (Barney, 2012). Regular army officers who assumed the general status followed the Jomini principles in planning and implementing primarily regional strategies.
Evidence from the Western Way of War
Victor Davis Hanson developed a war model that became popular in Western warfare etiquette. The model insists that the traditional view of war should involve non-deceptive tactics in pre-arranged military encounters. Davis argues that guerilla tactics and retreat from a battle are cowardly; armies should claim glory after a confrontation with the opposing group. According to this approach, war has a clear winner and loser, and this conclusion only follows the successful or unsuccessful completion of a direct encounter (Winton, 2011). This premise follows the assertion by Jomini about the essence of war; war is about winning, and the best strategies enhance success. Like the Russo-Turkish war where Jomini participated, the Western war usually has a unitary winner, the employer of the best strategic approach to the encounter.
Conclusion
Antoine Henri Jomini is a war theorist whose writings have influenced academic and field military operations. The scholar directly rivals Carl von Clausewitz; his works focused mainly on the map as a primary strategic point. He supported his premise with four maxims that touch on tactic, logistics, and personnel as core components of a successful war. Jomini’s thinking has been applied in previous conflicts, such as the military operation in the American civil war. Jomini’s principles are consistent with the model on Western Way approach to the war on a theoretical approach. The contemporary military can utilize the Jomini thought to plan for more complicated encounters using advanced technology.
Annotated Bibliography
Dighton, A. (2018). Jomini versus Clausewitz: Hamley’s operations of war and military thought in the British Army, 1866–1933. War in History, 27(2), 179-201.
The author reviews the works of Edward Hamley on Operations of War that were published in 1866. The writings are still relevant in British Military studies and operations after many years of their writing. Dighton explores how Hamley presented the philosophy of military development and the merger between the Jomini and Clausewitz approaches.
Fazal, T. (2019). The Net Cost of the “Western Way of War”: Review of Bugsplat by Bruce Cronin. Journal of Genocide Research, 21(2), 269-273.
The author reviews the work by Bruce Cronin on the recklessness of the Western Way of War. The author argues that the premises used in most western countries in advancing their military encounters with other countries degenerate into recklessness when dealing with civilian causalities. The insistence on strategies that target critical infrastructure affects the people directly despite strict adherence to international humanitarian law.
Barney, W. (2012). With a sword in one hand & Jomini in the other: The problem of military thought in the Civil War North. Civil War Book Review, 14(3).
This review examines the military doctrines applied by the American soldiers during the Civil War. The author debunks the significance of Jomini’s philosophy on the American military operation during the civil war despite the earlier recognition of Jomini’s philosophy. The essays claim that there was a lack of strategic nuance that deprived the Union soldiers of any guidelines on ending the war.
Calhoun, M. T. (2011). Clausewitz and Jomini: Contrasting intellectual frameworks in military theory. Army History, (80), 22-37.
The author evaluates the military theories of two popular theorists of the past: Antoine Jomini and Clausewitz. The American military applied the approaches of the two contrasting writers that gained their knowledge during the Napoleonic period.
Shy, J. (2010). 6. Jomini. In Makers of modern strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age (pp. 143-185). Princeton University Press.
The author in this chapter argues from the perspective of recognizing the contribution made by Jomini in understanding the terrain of modern wars. He notes that the majority of modern historians acknowledge the influence of Napoleon and Clausewitz on the modern writings on war. However, the writer insists that by overlooking Jomini, historians are confirming his worth despite his radical approach to war.
Vego, M. (2011). On military theory. Naval war Coll Newport RI Joint Military Operations Dept. Web.
The author underlines the importance of understanding both the military theory and practice in carrying out field operations. Vego claims that many officers fail to appreciate the necessity of military theory as a precursor for successful operations. He notes that military theories are important to shape the way of thinking rather than describe the basic rules of operation.
Winton, H. R. (2011). An imperfect jewel: Military theory and the military profession. Journal of Strategic Studies, 34(6), 853-877.
The article evaluates the existing relationship between military theory and profession for field officers. The author progresses from a conceptual framework, literature analysis before evaluating the practical influence of military theory on field practice. The article concludes by recommending reconsideration of military theory in the field practice; it should be studied hard but applied carefully.
References
Barney, W. (2012). With a sword in one hand & Jomini in the other: The problem of military thought in the Civil War North. Civil War Book Review, 14(3).
Calhoun, M. T. (2011). Clausewitz and Jomini: Contrasting intellectual frameworks in military theory. Army History, (80), 22-37.
Dighton, A. (2018). Jomini versus Clausewitz: Hamley’s operations of war and military thought in the British Army, 1866–1933. War in History, 27(2), 179-201.
Fazal, T. (2019). The net cost of the “Western Way of War”: Review of Bugsplat by Bruce Cronin. Journal of Genocide Research, 21(2), 269-273.
Shy, J. (2010). 6. Jomini. In Makers of modern strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age (pp. 143-185). Princeton University Press.
Vego, M. (2011). On military theory. Naval War Coll Newport RI Joint Military Operations Dept. Web.
Winton, H. R. (2011). An imperfect jewel: Military theory and the military profession. Journal of Strategic Studies, 34(6), 853-877.