In the marginalia of his copy of On War, influential fighter pilot-theorist John Boyd laments that Carl von Clausewitz never thought about inducing friction for the adversary: “Overcome friction, ...

But, instead of following Mao, the two sides may already be practising what the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz teaches in his classic On War.

Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian general and military theorist, famously noted that war is an instrument, not an end in itself.

In his classic text “On War,” the great philosopher of war Carl von Clausewitz introduced the concept of the “center of gravity.” The center of gravity in war is “the hub of all power ...

For a concise biography of Carl von Clausewitz, see Beatrice Heuser, “Introduction,” in Carl von Clausewitz, On War, abridged edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), pp. vii–xxxiv. On the ...

“Battles,” Carl Von Clausewitz said, “decide everything.” Yet the famed Prussian military theorist is wrong. Great battles and brilliant leaders can shape the course of events. But often ...

Complexity theories indeed do apply to war, and Clausewitz’s theories were the first to grapple with them. War is nonlinear, but the parallels between war and complexity science, and between ...

If President Trump wants foreign trading partners to lower tariffs on American exports, he should try reducing U.S. import tariffs, ideally to zero.

As Carl von Clausewitz wrote in the 19th century, “the aggressor is always peace-loving. ... He would prefer to take over our country unopposed.” ...

Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz created a new way of thinking about war in the West. Where previous authors had produced prescriptive manuals or homed in on ethics or the laws of war, he embarked ...