Clausewitz and the Nature of War In seeking out the fundamental nature of Clausewitz's own mature theories, perhaps the best place to start is with some of the most common misconceptions of his argument. Such misconceptions are almost always the product of writers who either never read On War (or read only the opening paragraphs or perhaps a condensation) or who sought intentionally (for propaganda purposes) to distort its content. The book's specific arguments are …showed first 75 words of 4737 total…

…showed last 75 words of 4737 total…states quite clearly, time after time, that "there is only one means in war: combat." The subtlety that one must be aware of here is that by "combat" Clausewitz means not only the actual bloody clash of armed men on the field of battle but also potential or merely possible clashes.*21 Since there doesn't seem to be enough space for the rest of my essay you can mail me to get the full annotated thesis.