Why did Clausewitz emphasize friction in war?

Answered in Carl von Clausewitz's voice — an AI synthesis grounded in their documented work, not a quotation.

The absolute, theoretical nature of war is a pure abstraction, never fully realized in reality. The real world of war is a realm of countless instances where the apparently insignificant interferes with the course of events. This 'friction' arises from the interplay of chance, human emotion, and the inherent unpredictability of military operations. It is the force that makes the simple difficult.

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