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Carl Von Clausewitz is amongst the prominent figures amongst the military theorists and practitioners who studied war. The book, “on war” demonstrates his ability to give an in-depth historical analysis and conclusion on conflicts that he was engaged in. As a philosopher, he also reflected on all the aspects of war. Therefore, Clausewitz provides an understanding of the current military and political leadership by providing important insights that can help in understanding the twenty-first-century warfare. Even though Clausewitz has discussed the nature of war, he also provides an analytical tool that can be used in understanding warfare chaos (Holmes, 2010). 

Thesis statement: current military leadership is required to comprehend the nature of war that they are engaged in so as to develop plans that are logical with the desire of the political end state. Clausewitz discusses the nature of war, providing the strategies and tactics effective for armed forces.

Even though Clausewitz's work proved to be educative and adaptable leadership capable of creative thinking, technology today has reduced some of Clausewitz’s tactics obsolete. However, his work can still be used in inspiring the military, and provide political strategies and analysis. Clausewitz provides the importance of strategy. A strategy is involved with choice making on how the limited resources will be concentrated to achieve a competitive advantage (Holmes, 2010). Clausewitz states that a strategist is required to identify the decisive point and concentrate everything on it.

Clausewitz focuses on the means to an end. However, as compared to other works such as that of Sun Tzu, it focuses on the end. For instance, Clausewitz states that destruction and occupation are some of the methods that can be sued in achieving victory through force. However, Sun Tzu examines the methods that can be used in acquiring victory. The methods that Sun Tzu examines are one with more flexibility, creativity, and foresight. Therefore, Clausewitz does not advocate that victory can be achieved without fighting.

War can be in the context of the continuation of policy or politics. Clausewitz states that conscious conduct of war such as strategy should be a continuation of rational calculation and policy. He also discusses that war originates and exists in the presence of chaos, unpredictable realm of politics. As compared to other military theorists and practitioners who studied war, Clausewitz does not discuss a resort to war as a pursuit of unrealizable policies but rather points out that war happens during political conflicts which may result in organized violence (Waldman, 2016). On War by Clausewitz has integrated military concerns (such as political, strategic, operational, tactical, analytical, historical, and pedagogical) within a socio-political framework. In the body of theories, Clausewitz is the only one that is close to successfully interrelating a wide range of military concerns.

Clausewitz describes war from a different standpoint. The first is war in the ideal. War can be said as an ideal in cases where it is a wholly isolated act, has a single or set of simultaneous decisive acts, and when a decision achieved is complete and perfect. He discusses war as an instrument of policy. War is considered a political instrument. Therefore, Clausewitz provides crucial ideas necessary in war. It puts more emphasis on the difference between the physical and moral aspects of war. The moral aspects of war as described by Clausewitz concerns different factors such as attitudes, character traits, and spirits of everyone involved in the conflict, leaders, and the state among others (Waldman, 2016). He also argues that many military theorists tend to ignore moral forces even though they are important than physical forces. The main focus of Clausewitz is on moral forces such as boldness and genius. Therefore, this indicates that war is a political extension to open violence to force one’s will.

References

Holmes, A. (2010). Carl von Clausewitz’s On War: A modern-day interpretation of a strategy classic. Infinite Ideas.

Waldman, T. (2016). War, clausewitz and the trinity. Routledge.