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Decoding Clausewitz: A New Approach to On War (Modern War Studies) Paperback – September 5, 2008

by Jon Tetsuro Sumida (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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For nearly two centuries, On War, by Carl Phillip Gottfried von Clausewitz (1780-1831), has been the bible for statesmen and military professionals, strategists, theorists, and historians concerned about armed conflict. The source of the famous aphorism that "war is an extension of politics by other means," it has been widely read and debated. But, as Jon Sumida shows in this daring new look at Clausewitz's magnum opus, its full meaning has eluded most readers—until now.

Approaching Clausewitz's classic as if it were an encoded text, Sumida deciphers this cryptic masterwork and offers a more productive way of looking at the sources and evolution of its author's thought. Sumida argues that On War should be viewed as far more complete and coherent than has been supposed. Moreover, he challenges the notion that On War is an attempt to explain the nature of armed conflict through the formulation of abstract theories.

Clausewitz's primary concern, Sumida contends, was practical instruction of the military and political leadership of his country. To achieve this end, Clausewitz invented a method of reenacting the psychological difficulties of high command in order to promote the powers of intuition that he believed were essential to effective strategic decision-making. In addition, Sumida argues that Clausewitz's primary strategic proposition is that the defense is a stronger form of war than the offense. This concept, Sumida maintains, must be understood in order to make sense of Clausewitz's positions on absolute and real war, guerrilla warfare, and the relationship of war and policy/politics.

Sumida's pathbreaking critique is supported by examination of the Prussian officer's experience during the Napoleonic Wars, previous major theoretical and historical scholarship on Clausewitz and his writing, and modern philosophical and scientific works that have much in common with Clausewitz's creative guide to the consideration of strategic practice.

A major study of intellectual and military history, Sumida's book provides a provocative and above all readily comprehensible treatment of a previously inaccessible classic. It will surely become essential reading for all military professionals and serious students of military thought.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University Press of Kansas
  4. Publication date
    September 5, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0700618198
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0700618194
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adds significant new weight to arguments for the contemporary relevance of On War."—Air Force Research Institute

"A cogent, challenging and welcome book on the character of Clausewitz’s thinking on war....This book demands a wide readership, for it exhibits the intellectual adventurousness that is the hallmark of Sumida’s scholarship. He has made a striking contribution to the history of military thought..."—Journal of Modern History

"An original, argumentative, intelligent, disgressive, and interesting book. . . . Any diligent reader of Sumida will be impelled to think seriously about major issues in On War—Journal of Military History

"Sumida’s discussion of military genius, decisionmaking during wartime, and the relationship between history and theory in military education is profound. His ideas reflect a synthesis of the philosophy underpinning the founding of, among other institutions, the Marine Corps University. This book is a new must-read for national strategists and anyone who strives to be a serious student of war."—Marine Corps Gazette



“Sumida offers a brilliant and convincing reevaluation of Clausewitz𔳡s thought, his magnum opus On War, and his continued relevance to modern warfare. . . . A major statement by a leading military historian and intellectual heavyweight.”—Robert M. Citino, author of The German Way of War

“A thoughtful, provocative, and refreshing look at Clausewitz and his classic treatise.”—Charles E. White, author of The Enlightened Soldier: Scharnhorst and the Militärische Gesellschaft in Berlin, 1801–1805

“Compelling, elegantly written, and entirely convincing.” —George W. Baer, author of One Hundred Years of Sea Power: The U.S. Navy, 1890–1990

From the Back Cover

"Sumida offers a brilliant and convincing reevaluation of Clausewitz's thought, his magnum opus On War, and his continued relevance to modern warfare. . . . A major statement by a leading military historian and intellectual heavyweight."--Robert M. Citino, author of The German Way of War

"A thoughtful, provocative, and refreshing look at Clausewitz and his classic treatise."--Charles E. White, author of The Enlightened Soldier: Scharnhorst and the Militärische Gesellschaft in Berlin, 1801-1805

"Compelling, elegantly written, and entirely convincing."--George W. Baer, author of One Hundred Years of Sea Power: The U.S. Navy, 1890-1990

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Kansas; Reprint edition (September 5, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0700618198
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0700618194
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Jon Tetsuro Sumida

Jon Tetsuro Sumida

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Jon Sumida was born in Washington, D.C., in 1949. He graduated from Stevenson College, University of California at Santa Cruz, with a B.A. in History, in 1971. Sumida earned his Ph.D in Modern British History from the University of Chicago in 1982. He joined the history department of the University of Maryland at College Park in the fall of 1980, where he taught European and Military History through 2017. Sumida is currently a Professor Emeritus. His three monographs are IN DEFENSE OF NAVAL SUPREMACY: FINANCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BRITISH NAVAL POLICY, 1889-1914 (1989); INVENTING GRAND STRATEGY AND TEACHING COMMAND: THE CLASSIC WORKS OF ALFRED THAYER MAHAN RECONSIDERED (1997); and DECODING CLAUSEWITZ; A NEW APPROACH TO ON WAR (2008). Sumida edited a volume of documents, THE POLLEN PAPERS: THE PRIVATELY CIRCULATED PRINTED WORKS OF ARTHUR HUNGERFORD POLLEN, 1901-1916 (1984). He has published thirty articles or chapters in books, three, of which have won the Moncado Prize from the Society for Military History (SMH) and has taught as a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Military Strategy and Operations

at the U.S. National War College, as a visiting lecturer at the U.S. Marine Corps School of Advanced War fighting, and as the Major General Matthew C. Horner Chair of Military Theory at the U.S. Marine Corps University. He chaired the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee. Sumida received the Dudley Knox Medal from the Naval Historical Foundation and the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize from the SMH.

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  • Retired Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly Code Breaking
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Carl von Clausewitz is a clear and straight forward writer so it must be asked does he really need someone to `decode' him. Well the short answer is yes. As Sumdia points out in this excellent companion to "On War", Clausewitz presents some extremely complex ideas in his unfinished master work. Further although his prose style is clear, his exposition of his ideas and arguments often is not. As his discussion of the distinction between "absolute war" and "real war" demonstrates. In a related example it is no means clear that weather by "people's war" he means guerilla warfare in support of regular forces or independent guerilla operations or what today is called asymmetrical warfare. As the result Sumida notes, von Clausewitz has been routinely misinterpreted by scholars as well as ordinary readers.

    In this work Sumida provides summaries of the views of some of the most distinguished critics of "On War" and attempts to show where such criticism is the due to misinterpretation of von Clausewitz. He then proceeds to a careful analysis of what he believes von Clausewitz actually meant explain about the theory and practice of war. In some ways this book is like a collection of extremely good end notes to the first four books of von Clausewitz's works.

    For this reader the best way to deal with Sumida's expository book is to first read "On War" then read "Decoding Clausewitz", then reread "On War" using Sumida's book as you would use a set of footnotes. In this respect one can truly treat Sumida as a decoder of what is a difficult, but important body of work.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Dan Grazier
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any student of Clausewitz
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2013
    I slogged through "On War" about six years ago. That book is quite dense and it jumps around from idea to idea. Still, I thought I understood the main points Clausewitz was attempting to put forward. I now know how wrong I was. Like most military professionals, I thought Clausewitz believed the offense was superior. An instructor I had at one school made that point over and over again. He mentioned the defense as being the stronger form of war because the defender could tie into the terrain and so forth. That misinformation created the flawed mindset I began with when reading "On War". This so clouded my judgement to such a great extent that I now know I did not even come close to appreciating the work after the first read.

    Clausewitz was generally not talking about the tactical level of war at all. I now question why he is even taught in entry-level schools (other than as a way for instructors to impress students). Professor Sumida accomplished something dramatic with this work. He successfully broke me of my old, flawed mindset about Clausewitz and brought his monumental work into much clearer focus for me. I now understand what Clausewitz was talking about when he said the defense is the stronger form of war. It has nothing to do with being tied into terrain, by the way.

    "Decoding Clausewitz" is simply brilliant. I highly recommend reading this before attempting to read "On War". The reader will have a much greater appreciation for Clausewitz for it.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • BKM
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Good analysis-- but there's no beating Clausewitz original words and concepts
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  • G. R. Wilson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Offers a Fundemental Understanding
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2014
    Professor Sumida's book explicates the process that Clausewitz tried to impart as the best means of educating military officers. To read Sumida is to make clear Clausewitz's intent and instruction to the Prussian officer corps, even if it is obscure to the rest of us.

    As one of Sumida's first students at Maryland (Class of '81), I learned the importance of analysis in history, as opposed to merely the gathering of a sound narrative. Decoding Clausewitz will give the reader a sense of the exciting intellectual experience of attending a Sumida lecture.

    Mr. Sumida (later Doctor) advised me to go to graduate school. Alas, the tides of life carried me to a different career. Reading Sumida (and one should also read, Inventing Grand Strategy and Teaching Command) will broaden one's perspective and more than reward the effort. Thank you, Professor Sumida, for a glimpse at your graduate courses.

    [Please follow me to, Inventing Grand Strategy and Teaching Command for a review of that work.]
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