Smith Hugh. On Clausewitz: A Study of Military and Political Ideas

Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. — 316 p.Clausewitz is often quoted but more often misunderstood. On Clausewitz presents his central ideas about war and politics-such as war as an instrument of policy, the concept of Absolute War, friction and the fog of war-in a clear and systematic fashion. On Clausewitz is a thorough survey of all of Clausewitz's most important insights, drawn not only from On War but also from his voluminous writings on military history and international politics. Smith is particularly good at outlining the intellectual influences on Clausewitz...Far from being the bloody-minded apostle of total war portrayed by detractors, Smith's Clausewitz is a complex and fully rounded thinker.