“Reading Carl von Clausewitz’s On War is never easy, but this companion volume makes the process far more accessible, engaging, and enlightening. J. Furman Daniel shows how On War must be understood in the context of Clausewitz’s lived experience of Napoleonic warfare and in the intellectual and strategic traditions of his time. From a compelling opening anecdote onward, Daniel also explains how and why Clausewitz’s masterwork has been consistently misinterpreted and overinterpreted in the two centuries since it was written. His concluding summary of the core elements of Clausewitz’s thought underscores both the enduring value of these ideas and their continued relevance for students, scholars, and practitioners today.” — Joanna Spear, The George Washington University
“J. Furman Daniel’s Restoring Clausewitz revives the Prussian theorist with clarity, rigor, and historical depth. Daniel situates On War in its intellectual and political contexts while showing why Clausewitz’s ideas continue to shape strategy today. Erudite yet accessible, the book reconnects readers to both the richness and the limits of Clausewitz’s thought, offering students and practitioners alike a lucid guide to one of history’s most consequential minds.” —Samuel R. Helfont, U.S. Naval War College
“Carl von Clausewitz—history’s most overquoted and underread Prussian—warned against ‘those who never rise above the anecdote…starting always with the most striking feature and digging only as deep as suits them.’ In Restoring Clausewitz , J. Furman Daniel offers a clear, engaging, and necessary correction to decades of misreadings and misuses—a much-needed antidote to the anecdotes from those who misquote and misread Clausewitz’s classic text. Rather than cherry-picking sound bites, Daniel takes Clausewitz seriously, tracing his arguments, unpacking his historical context, and restoring the coherence and complexity of his most famous work. The result is an indispensable guide for readers who want to move beyond cliché and finally understand On War on its own terms.” —Jay M. Parker, Georgetown University, and coauthor, Restoring Thucydides
