A Brief Introduction to Clausewitz' On War
Carl von Clausewitz' On War, published posthumously in 1832, is THE seminal Western exegesis of war and military strategy and was the basis for Western military teaching and the conduct of war from its publication up until at least 1989, when the U.S. Marines adopted an official doctrine of warfighting largely based upon the priniciples of Sun Tzu's Art of War and U.S. Air Force Colonel Boyd's "OODA Loop." The crux of On War is attrition warfare as compared to the maneuver warfare of Art of War (but this is, of course, grossly oversimplified).
The U.S. invasion of Iraq is an interesting application (misapplicaiton) of the principles of the Art of War and an ignorant rejection of core principles of both On War and the Art of War. Defense secretary Rumsfeld planned for, and achieved, a quick military victory, but did not plan for, and did not achieve, stability and political victory. General Shinsheki's call for hundreds of thousands of troops, classic attrition warfare of Clausewitz' time, also was not the correct strategy. Had Clausewitz and Sun Tzu been consulted, both would have counseled President Bush to not invade Iraq. But the Iraq war is an article for another day.
The 10 principles that I have gleaned from On War are presented below.
1. A narrow perspective on war (war and peace are separate).
2. Trinitarian analysis (the People, the Government, the Military).
3. The Center of Gravity (schwerpunkt).
4. Numerical superiority and concentration of force.
5. The search for the decisive battle.
6. Boldness.
7. Friction and the Fog of War.
8. Continuity and the Culminating Point of Victory.
9. War Termination/Exit Strategy.
10. Military Genius.
True, a study of both history and military strategy would have led to opposition to the invasion in the first place. I was one of them. But what do we do now?
The center of gravity is the American public and it is pulling us out of Iraq. The military did not want to go to Iraq in the first place and is staying there because they have to follow orders. The government is the only leg of the Clausewitz trinity that is trying to keep us there, and that leg is wobbly. Fighting gravity is futile.The military - if unfettered by the requirement to protect the President's legacy - is most qualified to answer your question, as the President has lost the will to lead and the sense to follow, and leaving (strategic withdrawal) is now a military operation - the political decision having been made back in November. I think the Joint Chiefs of Staff should present a plan for withdrawal within their time frames and that if the President does not accept it, then they should resign en masse.If this happens, then Congressional leaders should insist that the President reconsider or resign (and the VP resign too).If no reconsideration, then Congress should explore constitutional amendment of the war powers of the executive and legislative branches consistent with separation of powers requirements so that our nation is not held hostage by a recalcitrant executive.