War studies

War studies is the interdisciplinary study of war, examining its causes, conduct, consequences, and representation through historical, political, social, and strategic approaches.

War: War is organized, sustained armed conflict between political communities or within them. It is the central phenomenon that war studies examines.
Deterrence theory: Deterrence theory explains how threats of punishment or denial can discourage an adversary from acting. It explains attempts to prevent war through credible threats.
Carl von Clausewitz: Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and theorist whose unfinished treatise On War analyzed war's political character. His account of war as an instrument of policy remains a foundational framework.
Strategic studies: Strategic studies examines the use and threat of force to achieve political objectives. It concentrates war studies' broad inquiry on military power and statecraft.
Peace studies: Peace studies examines the causes and conditions of peace, including nonviolent ways to address conflict. It shifts the primary focus from war's dynamics to preventing violence and sustaining peace.
Military strategy: Military strategy is the use of military means to achieve political objectives. It connects the conduct of campaigns to the political purposes war studies investigates.
Security dilemma: A security dilemma occurs when one state's defensive measures make others feel less secure and prompt countermeasures. It shows how reciprocal insecurity can intensify without an initial desire for war.
Antoine-Henri Jomini: Antoine-Henri Jomini was a Swiss military theorist who sought general principles for conducting campaigns. His prescriptive approach offers a counterpoint to Clausewitz's broader analysis.
Peace and conflict studies: Peace and conflict studies analyzes violent conflict, nonviolent action, peacebuilding, and conflict transformation. It applies related methods to prevention, resolution, and postwar recovery.
Just war theory: Just war theory evaluates when war may be morally justified and how it should be fought. It asks normative questions that empirical study of war alone cannot settle.

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King's College LondonRelated: King's department applies historical and political analysis to contemporary security questions.