He himself thought that a successful general should study the most recent campaigns, let’s say the last 50 years of the history of war, because their reality is the closest to that of the present and is therefore the most relevant. If you were to ask me whether it is necessary to study Clausewitz and other old authors, my answer would be no, you don’t need to dive into such books to be a good general, just like you don’t have to be an expert on Aristotle to become president.īut on the other hand, Clausewitz said that history is the way to expand personal experience. Rabbit Hole : Your book, A History of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to the Cold War, retraces the modern history of war theories, including authors who were once prolific and popular but now are barely remembered. What is the relevance of such authors today?ĪG: The connection between classic, historical literature, and the realities of our era is indirect. But then again, this is true for most Israelis of my generation, and they did not all end up studying war! Whatever the reason, these interests have been with me since childhood. Even in early elementary school! I am tempted to say this is due to being an Israeli who witnessed the Six-Day War at age eight, growing up in this atmosphere of armed conflict.

Rabbit Hole : What led you to focus on war?ĪG: As far as I can remember, I have always been interested in war.

Azar gat war in human civilization