I look upon the first six books, of which a fair copy has now been
made, as only a mass which is still in a manner without form, and which
has yet to be again revised. In this revision the two kinds of War will
be everywhere kept more distinctly in view, by which all ideas will
acquire a clearer meaning, a more precise direction, and a closer
application. The two kinds of War are, first, those in which the object
is the _overthrow of the enemy_, whether it be that we aim at his
destruction, politically, or merely at disarming him and forcing him to
conclude peace on our terms; and next, those in which our object is
_merely to make some conquests on the frontiers of his country_, either
for the purpose of retaining them permanently, or of turning them to
account as matter of exchange in the settlement of a peace. Transition
from one kind to the other must certainly continue to exist, but the
completely different nature of the tendencies of the two must
everywhere appear, and must separate from each other things which are
incompatible.
Besides establishing this real difference in Wars, another practically
necessary point of view must at the same time be established, which is,
that _War is only a continuation of State policy by other means_. This
point of view being adhered to everywhere, will introduce much more
unity into the consideration of the subject, and things will be more
easily disentangled from each other. Although the chief application of
this point of view does not commence until we get to the eighth book,
still it must be completely developed in the first book, and also lend
assistance throughout the revision of the first six books. Through such
a revision the first six books will get rid of a good deal of dross,
many rents and chasms will be closed up, and much that is of a general
nature will be transformed into distinct conceptions and forms.
The seventh book—on attack—for the different chapters of which sketches
are already made, is to be considered as a reflection of the sixth, and
must be completed at once, according to the above-mentioned more
distinct points of view, so that it will require no fresh revision, but
rather may serve as a model in the revision of the first six books.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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