Open-Source Warfare

What the Ukraine War shows us about the changing character of war

In military circles, a clear distinction is often drawn between the nature of war and character of warfare—often by disciples of the 19th century theorist, Carl von Clausewitz.

In short, the nature of war is a clash of actively opposed wills comprised by violence, chance, and ration. War also possesses an escalatory nature. Think of two school-yard bullies that start by calling each other names, which leads to a bit of a pushing match, which leads to one of the bullies swinging a fist. If a teacher intervenes, however, that escalation can be halted. The same thing happens with war. Limited war has an escalatory nature that could grow to absolute war, if not checked by norms, international intervention, or other measures.

The character of warfare—how we fight wars—changes regularly. Small technological changes can greatly influence how warfare is fought. The adoption of the stirrup by the Franks in 732AD is often credited for the spread of mounted knights and the creation of feud…