ABSTRACT
Military force, as Clausewitz made explicit, i s not an end in itself. It has meaning only in relation to the future political landscape desired by the parties to a conflict. When internal political institutions function normally, the wielders of sovereign power are the natural arbiters of last resort among competing (security, economic, cultural) interests and values in the polity. Such is the justification for civil control - subordination of the military to the highest political authorities.
