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http://www.virtualcitizens.com/article.php?shorttitle=SunTzuRulesofWarRules of War by Sun Tzu Ignored
Andrew Bosworth, PhD
"Trust us," the neo-conservative refrain has been, "for we know what we are doing."
As the neo-cons march towards defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is useful to ponder the wisdom of Sun Tzu, a general who lived in the Warring States period in China, in the 6th century BC.
Sun Tzu's rational approach to military matters was laid out in "The Art of War." This short book, readily available, should have been required reading for the neo-cons (whose record of wins and loses is shaping up to be 0–2).
Imagine. The Bush administration began the Iraq invasion with talk of "weapons of mass destruction" (preventive war). Then, as the 2004 elections neared, it linked Iraq to 9/11 (revenge). Then, as people began sorting out the lies, the neo-cons tried to link Iraq to "terrorism," (claiming that the best defense is a good offense). All the while, the White House and Fox News went on about "freedom and democracy." That's at least four lines of propaganda issued by the Party.
Who benefits from this confusion, according to Sun Tzu? The enemy? Actually, neighboring rulers benefit. Can anyone spell "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?"
"One who is confused in purpose cannot respond to his enemy… If the army is confused and suspicious, neighboring rulers will cause trouble. This is what is meant by the saying: "A confused army leads to another's victory…" (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Offensive Strategy: 23).
Ignorance is deadly. The Bush-era military, desperate for cannon fodder, lowered standards and reached down to younger recruits. With no Arabic language training and no sense of Iraqi culture, the military asks teenagers to police a hostile, foreign culture - for the four reasons offered by the Party.
"When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril" (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Offensive Strategy: 84).
Cruelty backfires. Neo-cons insist that we are fighting a "war" on terror but that the enemy does not have "soldiers" (only "terrorists"). This kind of "war" - without real "soldiers" on the other side that is - opens the door to the kinds of human rights abuses seen at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.
Sun Tzu would likely say that if the "war on terror" was really a "war," then this universal rule would apply:
"Treat captives well, and care for them. All the soldiers taken must be cared for with magnanimity and sincerity so that they may be used by us" (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Waging War: 19).
By all accounts, however, Guantanamo and the Iraq occupation inspired the Madrid and London bombings. Violating Sun Tzu's rule has consequences.
Eternal war is suicide. The neo-con "generations-long war," "Hundred Years War," or "Crusade," is nothing but a blunder. Sun-Tzu says:
"
… We have not yet seen a clever operation that was prolonged… For there has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited… Those adept in waging war do not require a second levy of conscripts nor more that one provisioning" (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Waging War: 6 – 9).
Sun Tzu would not be impressed by the "back-door draft." Many soldiers have served in Iraq three times, and each time, they note, conditions deteriorate.
Nor would Sun Tzu be impressed by Bush administration combining ignorance with arrogance. There was a term, in ancient China, for leaders who behaved with such recklessness:
"Such people are called 'mad bandits.' What can they expect if not defeat?" (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Offensive Strategy: 33).
Finally, Sun Tzu did not have a problem with an army "withdrawing" in order to face the enemy on another battlefield. If the "war on terror" really is global (and eternal), then the Bush administration should have no problem transferring US troops from Iraq to that other front, Afghanistan - or home, to create a realistic defensive perimeter.
In a larger war, according to Sun Tzu, "cut and run" can simply be a "withdraw." But the White House prefers to toss Sun Tzu's The Art of War into the trash. Instead, it will follow the present course: "stay and lose."
Andrew Bosworth, PhD
www.virtualcitizens.com
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