Tarak Barkawi shares some thoughts; this sentence took me:

"War is a train that once boarded is very difficult to get off at the station you prefer, and which is headed to a new and unknown destination."

And this:

"What Clausewitz actually teaches us is that war is far more likely to make us its servants than we are to make war our instrument. War subjects us to its dynamics, it draws in ever greater resources, and it changes everything, especially but not only for those caught in the direct grip of its violence.

What then of those who would speak truth about war?

They test themselves against a reality beyond their control. Worse, there is a devious opponent behind the scenes, manipulating things for their own purposes. Bomb Gaddafi's armoured vehicles, and now he moves his forces about in cars and light trucks, indistinguishable from civilians and rebels. With a stroke, NATO's chief advantage and only instrument – air power – is decisively attenuated."

It's hard to think that we are any closer to learning these things about war.  Is it just arrogance?