Obama, ISIS and Sun Tzu
Posted: 04-17-2015 05:55 AM
Recently I picked-up some books that I've wanted to read over the year, but for some reason or another, simply haven't gotten around to. One book I picked-up was the classic Art of War, by Sun Tzu, and, as I've been reading the chapters, I've been struck by the remarks coming out of the WH Press Secretary's office.
The copy I bought has a forward that alludes to the book being used over the centuries by the military over the centuries, and now by the business community.
Some quotes from the book - as you read these, think back over remarks made by the WH - either Obama himself, or his press staff........
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle
“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
“Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”
A couple of points - the introduction of the edition I bought showed how the Chinese Communists under Mao, as well as the North Vietnamese used The Art of War in their campaigns - both which were disastrous for the US.
This morning's news ran a segment of how the morale of the US Army is at it's lowest point. Ever.
Think Obama and our government is being schooled?
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/ ... Tzu?page=1
Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program
More than half of some 770,000 soldiers are pessimistic about their future in the military and nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs, despite a six-year, $287 million campaign to make troops more optimistic and resilient, findings obtained by USA TODAY show.
Twelve months of data through early 2015 show that 403,564 soldiers, or 52%, scored badly in the area of optimism, agreeing with statements such as "I rarely count on good things happening to me." Forty-eight percent have little satisfaction in or commitment to their jobs.
The results stem from resiliency assessments that soldiers are required to take every year. In 2014, for the first time, the Army pulled data from those assessments to help commanders gauge the psychological and physical health of their troops.
The effort produced startlingly negative results. In addition to low optimism and job satisfaction, more than half reported poor nutrition and sleep, and only 14% said they are eating right and getting enough rest.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... /24897455/
Just happened on this from a few years back.......
Sun Tzu would not be happy with Obama's plans for Syria strike
Sun Tzu: “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
We have heard a lot of noise over the past week from the White House…and we are about to hear a whole lot more…
The president intends to conduct a surgical military strike against Syria in the near future because Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad violated international norms to send a message. And despite the limited duration of any such planned military action and the lack of clear and achievable objective there is a frightening gap between Obama's rhetoric and the reality we face.
The old adage applies here: plan for the worst, but hope for the best. However, “hope” is not a strategy and it is not a sound policy regarding Syria.
It is time for President Obama to level with the American people and Congress.
The White House needs to expand its horizon and create realistic expectations of what any military action will bring.
Surgical strikes never go exactly as planned.
Many experts believe Assad will not heed the message and will instead continue to act illogically and use chemical weapons against his people, again.
What are we to do then; what then are our options; what will be the cost of the next move and the next move after that?
Congress is more aware than the president to the reality of political backlash that will come with the blind use of U.S. unilateral military force; and in the end what are our options if the message carried by our cruise missiles and manned bombers does not take?
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/ ... ia-strike/
The copy I bought has a forward that alludes to the book being used over the centuries by the military over the centuries, and now by the business community.
Some quotes from the book - as you read these, think back over remarks made by the WH - either Obama himself, or his press staff........
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle
“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
“Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”
A couple of points - the introduction of the edition I bought showed how the Chinese Communists under Mao, as well as the North Vietnamese used The Art of War in their campaigns - both which were disastrous for the US.
This morning's news ran a segment of how the morale of the US Army is at it's lowest point. Ever.
Think Obama and our government is being schooled?
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/ ... Tzu?page=1
Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program
More than half of some 770,000 soldiers are pessimistic about their future in the military and nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs, despite a six-year, $287 million campaign to make troops more optimistic and resilient, findings obtained by USA TODAY show.
Twelve months of data through early 2015 show that 403,564 soldiers, or 52%, scored badly in the area of optimism, agreeing with statements such as "I rarely count on good things happening to me." Forty-eight percent have little satisfaction in or commitment to their jobs.
The results stem from resiliency assessments that soldiers are required to take every year. In 2014, for the first time, the Army pulled data from those assessments to help commanders gauge the psychological and physical health of their troops.
The effort produced startlingly negative results. In addition to low optimism and job satisfaction, more than half reported poor nutrition and sleep, and only 14% said they are eating right and getting enough rest.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... /24897455/
Just happened on this from a few years back.......
Sun Tzu would not be happy with Obama's plans for Syria strike
Sun Tzu: “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
We have heard a lot of noise over the past week from the White House…and we are about to hear a whole lot more…
The president intends to conduct a surgical military strike against Syria in the near future because Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad violated international norms to send a message. And despite the limited duration of any such planned military action and the lack of clear and achievable objective there is a frightening gap between Obama's rhetoric and the reality we face.
The old adage applies here: plan for the worst, but hope for the best. However, “hope” is not a strategy and it is not a sound policy regarding Syria.
It is time for President Obama to level with the American people and Congress.
The White House needs to expand its horizon and create realistic expectations of what any military action will bring.
Surgical strikes never go exactly as planned.
Many experts believe Assad will not heed the message and will instead continue to act illogically and use chemical weapons against his people, again.
What are we to do then; what then are our options; what will be the cost of the next move and the next move after that?
Congress is more aware than the president to the reality of political backlash that will come with the blind use of U.S. unilateral military force; and in the end what are our options if the message carried by our cruise missiles and manned bombers does not take?
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/ ... ia-strike/