The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish by that test the kind of … - Carl von Clausewitz

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The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish by that test the kind of war on which they are embarking; neither mistaking it for, nor trying to turn it into, something that is alien to its nature.