Reading Clausewitz: On War for 21st-century Practitioners

Abstract Carl von Clausewitz’s classic work On War illuminates the practical value of approaching war on a theoretical basis, the relationship between war and policy, and the demands that war’s nature imposes on both civilian and military leaders. This essay places familiar passages of the treatise in context and sheds light on how On War still informs matters of utmost importance to today’s policymakers and their civilian and military advisers. By approaching On War as an inquiry into war and its inherent tensions, twenty-first-century national-security practitioners can cultivate an awareness and sensitivity essential to the military planning and advising that they undertake.