Nature of War- What is war?

the book is Carl von Clausewitz - "On War"

"In the former, everything must be subject to optimism, and we must imagine the one side as well as the other striving after perfection and even attaining it. Will this ever take place in reality? It will if,
(1). War becomes a completely isolated act...
(2). If it is limited to a single solution, or several simultaneous solutions.
(3). If it contains within itself the solution perfect and complete..." (Clausewitz 106).

The whole first chapter of the book is spent talking about the abstract of war (which is stated above), and the reality of war; which usually contradicts the abstract. I chose this passage because it is the key to figuring out strategies or plans to go to war. Clausewitz defines "War" for intensive purposes:

"War therefore is an act of violence intended to compel our opponents to fulfil our will" (Clausewitz 101).


Clausewitz clearly states that the abstract and the reality of war are contradicting. Later on in the chapter he goes on to say that "war is never and isolated act; war does not consist of one instantaneous blow; and the result in war is never absolute. With this information, one in the position to decide who goes to war ;e.i. the Secretary of Defense, should carefully examine all the reactions of going into a full blown campaign to "compel our opponents to fulfil our will." Since, in the reality, war has no absolute result, one should be sure that they are prepared to be in the conflict for quite some time and be conditioned to see it through. The same goes for the second point, if war does not consist of an instantaneous blow, one would also make sure that he/she is prepared with numerous battle plans and is conditioned in the mental sense and the physical sense.

Another important fact is the breif comparison between the paradoxical nature of war and the reality. The paradox of war is that states are fighting for peace. Clausewitz states that as long as the emotions, animosity and hatred exist, whether or not the war is "over," that war will never die. There will always be a chain of emotions that cause the hatred, and with hatred, war will never end, in the complex sense. *Politics are also involved with war.

Later on in the 1st book (out of three in the whole book), Clausewitz goes into extreme depths on the subject and breaks down the "abstract phenomenon" according to the three principles in which war should be measured: pre-planning/ calculations and the anomaly's that appear; the adaptation in the actual heat of war; and finally the probability and chance/ who gets lucky on any given day.

Questions:
1). Since it is only an abstract; which attributes are the most important to have to come as close to the absolute result?

2). Did Agamemnon and Menalaus take into account these issues before they went to war?