On War.

" . . . [W]ar is nothing but the continuation of policy with other means."^1a* JOMINI GUEVARA ZEDONG

"War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will."^1b*

"What is the object of defense? Preservation. It is easier to hold ground than take it. . . defense is the stronger form of waging war."^1d SUN TZU

"The only advantage the attacker possesses is that he is free to strike at any point . . . and in full force: the defender, on the other hand, is able to surprise his opponent constantly throughout the engagement by the strength and direction of his counterattacks."^1e GUEVARA

"[T]he concept of war does not originate with the attack, because the ultimate object of attack is not fighting: rather, it is possession. The idea of war originates with the defense . . . "^1f

"Not by taking things the easy way . . . but by constantly seeking out the center of his power, but by daring all to win all, will one really defeat the enemy."^1g JOMINI

"The principle of aiming everything at the enemy’s center of gravity admits of only one exception – that is, when secondary operations look exceptionally rewarding. . .
The first task, then, in planning for a war is to identify the enemy’s centers of gravity, and, if possible trace them back to a single one.
The second task is to ensure that the forces to be used against that point are concentrated for a main offensive."^1h* ZEDONG

• For an application of Clausewitz's concept of war, see Edward Ayoub, The Nature, Causes, Targets, and Timing of the 9/11 Terrorist Attack upon the United States. Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations Derived from the Macrogenome Project and the Macroknow Intellectual Intelligence (MI2) System. Edward E. Ayoub, 2004. Global Security Alert. Macroknow Intellectual Intelligence. Toronto,ON: Macroknow, Inc., 2004. http://www.macroknow.com/sow/report-911.htm
• Christopher Bassford. The Clausewitz Homepage. http://www.clausewitz.com/

* Italics in the original.

¹ Carl Von Clausewitz (1780-1831). On War (1832). Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret. Introductory Essays by Peter Paret, Michael Howard, and Bernard Brodie. Commentary by Bernard Brodie. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976, 1984.
^a Two Notes by the Author on His Plans for Revising On War, at 69.
^b Book I: On the Nature of War. What is War?, at 75.
^c Book 3: On Strategy in General. Moral Factors, at 184.
^d Book 6: Defense. Advantages of Defense, at 357-359.
^e Ibid. The Relationship between Attack and Defense in Tactics, at 360.
^f Ibid. Interaction between Attack and Defense, at 377.
^g Book 8: War Plans. Closer Definition of the Military Objective: The Defeat of the Enemy, at 596.
^h Ibid. The Plan of War designed to Lead to the Total Defeat of the Enemy, at 618-619.

² Carl Von Clausewitz. On War. Edited with an Introduction by Anatol Rapoport. (Abridged edition of Clausewitz's magnum opus based on the New and Revised Edition (edited by Col. F.N. Maude) of Col. J.J. Graham's translation, 1908). London, UK: Penguin Books Ltd., 1968.