Breaking: WAR (A teaching moment for those interested in military strategy and theory).
War is a result of a failure of policy, poor policy is a failure of strategy, a lack of strategy is a failure of leadership, a failure of leadership is deadly.
In Sun Tzu's, The Art of War, he strongly emphasizes achieving victory through strategy, deception, and positioning rather than direct combat, ideally by avoiding or preventing war altogether when possible.
His core idea is that the highest form of skill isn’t winning battles through force but subduing the opponent without ever needing to fight.
Here are some of Sun Tzu's masterpiece thoughts on war without fighting.
1. The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
2. To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. To fight and conquer in all battles is not supreme excellence, supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. Winning every fight is good, but preventing the need for them is far superior.
3. In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact. To shatter and destroy it is not so good. Preserving resources and avoiding destruction through superior strategy is ideal.
4. The shrewd warrior avoids the battle, and the greatest victory is that which requires no battle. These reinforce prudence and foresight over unnecessary engagement.
Bottom line: Sun Tzu advises knowing yourself and the enemy thoroughly, using deception and trickery, attacking weaknesses while avoiding strengths, and choosing when not to fight.
He views prolonged warfare (attrition) or destructive warfare (annihilation) as a failure of strategy, preferring psychological, diplomatic, or positional victories that render one's opposition helpless before the battle is even waged.
Essentially, Sun Tzu saw war as a last resort and a costly endeavor. The smartest leaders win by making conflict unnecessary through superior planning, sound, reliable intelligence, and adaptability. These ideas have influenced military and business leaders, as well as being vital components of conflict resolution for centuries.
Military practitioners are not the only ones who have read Sun Tzu. It is translated in many languages and dialects all across the globe. Many fail to read it, most fail to follow the guidelines. War isn’t an unnecessary outcome, but before engaging, there must be very clear objectives and an even clearer end state.
If you want to read a book on military strategy: read Field of Fight, How to Win the War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies
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