The Truth Is Out There

The importance of a nation's will to conduct war has been a topic debated by strategists for hundreds of years. Clausewitz, among others, thought it critical to the successful accomplishment of military operations and bringing about a better state of peace, stating since the moral [in this instance, morality is not considered to be ethics, but morale] elements are among the most important in warthey establish a close affinity with the will that moves and leads the whole mass of forcethe spirit and other moral qualities of an army, a general, or a government, the temper of the populationcan moreover influence our objective and situation 1 In a democracy or republican form of government, the government's ability to remain in power without popular support further magnifies the role of national will. The effects of public will and support demonstrated in the World Wars and Vietnam leave little doubt concerning the critical influence of national morale on when, and how, the U.S. conducts war. The influence of the media has a direct effect on that morale and the lack of objective, in depth, analytical reporting by national news outlets has directly impacted the ability of the U.S. military and government to sustain the national will and support for the war in Iraq.