About War introduces the central distinction between war and warfare. War is defined as the hostile use of organised violence for political ends; warfare concerns the conduct of that violence through tactics, logistics, and operations. By tracing this distinction through history – from prehistoric times to Clausewitz’s trinity to the failures of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Libya — I show why fewer than half of wars achieve their original political objectives. I examine Civil–Military Relations, the misuse of strategy, and the dilemmas of nuclear deterrence, arguing that victory must be accompanied by peace and justice if it is to be meaningful.