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Warfare is a complex matter, going from the daily routine of the soldier up to the highest reaches of government. Its influence permeates entire societies and has always been a factor shaping the destiny of nations. Not being a military man, I nonetheless found it fascinating and enlightening how Clausewitz tried to cut through the complexity and penetrate to the heart of the matter.
His central point is that war is an instrument of policy. As a result, there is no purely military problem. The commander needs to understand the political goals and act accordingly. When the process fails it's because the policy itself was bad, not because of politicians interfering in "purely military matters".
It can get a bit humorous when Clausewitz talks about armchair generals. He dismisses them as useless pedants, deriding them for coming up with an excess of useless rules and concocting impractical schemes. Clausewitz points out that there is a lot of "friction" in war, when issuing orders and moving men around, that non-soldiers seldom appreciate. More to the point, he emphasizes the role of the commander's judgment in dealing with the specifics of a situation.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in military matters. With that said, don't dive into it blindly. Clausewitz draws heavily on examples from the campaigns of Frederick the Great and Napoleon. Familiarize yourself with the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars before picking this up. A brief overview of the wars between the Grand Alliance and Louis XIV wouldn't hurt either.
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