SECURING THE STATE: Reforming the National Security Decisionmaking Process at the Civil-Military Nexus,

Colonel Christopher P. Gibson is the current Director of Operations and Plans (G3) of the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division. He is a highly-decorated veteran of the First Gulf War, NATO peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Operation Iraqi Freedom—where he commanded a battalion in Mosul. He was previously the Distinguished Honour Graduate of his Command and General Staff College class and holds a PhD in Government from Cornell University. Earlier Reviewed by Associate Professor Ian Wing Most contributors aim to elucidate some aspect of Clausewitz’s thinking before either directly indicating its relevance to modern conflict or inviting the reader to think more deeply about contemporary violence in the light of their analysis. Daniel Moran examines the idea of war as an instrument of policy, suggesting that it is more complex and more difficult to realise today than in Clausewitz’s time. Christopher Bassford provides a close analysis of what he translates as the ‘fascinating trinity’ of violence, reason and the play of chance and probability which he sees as the concept that ties together all of Clausewitz’s ideas into a meaningful unity. Jon Sumida offers a perceptive analysis of the idea that defence is the stronger form of war, claiming that this is the concept that unifies Clausewitz’s thinking. Ulrike Kleemeier argues that emotions play a large part in Clausewitz’s account of war and that for him intuition is more important than deductive reasoning. (She also asks pointedly why ‘obedience’ is not to be found among Clausewitz’s moral forces.)