War, for Clausewitz, was diplomacy by other means: it was what is used when ordinary negotiation or other modes of persuasion or coersion fail in the relations between states. Total war blunts the use of war as a political instrument, since the sufferings inflicted on both sides tend to far outweigh whatever diplomatic gains may be achieved through it. The possibility of nuclear war makes this obvious.

XREF: Recalls Clausewitz's 'On War' and the concept of war as a continuation of policy by other means; connects to debates about whether modern weapons have eliminated that logic. QUESTION: Does this imply diplomacy becomes more viable when war is too destructive to use, or does it just shift coercion to other domains (economic, cyber)?

Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Moderni…, loc. 156