Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sun Tzu On War
Alan Woods On Bush
This is from a recent article in In Defense of Marxism written by the leader of the Marxist Tendency Alan Woods. He compares Sun Tzu's proven writings on war, with George Bush's practice.
On preparation
Sun Tzu says:
Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.
The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.
The US imperialists, it is true, made many calculations before invading Iraq - but all of them were wrong. The most famous saying of Sun Tzu is:
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.
When he launched his Iraq adventure George Bush did not understand the mess he was getting into. He did not understand the enemy, nor did he understand the limitations of his own forces and the psychology of his own people. He assumed that the crushing military superiority of his armed forces would be sufficient to ensure a speedy and absolute victory. He assumed that the people of Iraq would greet the US forces as liberators - or, at least would not be able or willing to fight them. And he assumed that the people of the United States would continue to support the war as long as necessary. All these assumptions were false.
It is true that the majority of Iraqis did not like Saddam Hussein. But they like the US occupation forces even less. All the recent opinion polls show that the overwhelming majority of Iraqis think they were better off under Saddam Hussein, and an even bigger majority wants the Americans and their allies to leave. But the Americans are in no hurry to leave.
On the other hand the present occupant of the White House and Commander-in-Chief of the US Army failed to understand the limitation of his own forces. All the technology in the world will not make up for a demoralized army that has lost all confidence in its mission and no longer has the will to fight. The soldiers do not want to go to Iraq, and that is particularly the case with the reservists. The fact that a disproportionate percentage of the US troops in Iraq are poor, black or Latino, adds to the discontent and resentment. This can create an explosive situation in the ranks in the next period.
Last, but by no means least, the US public, which was never very enthusiastic about Bush's Iraq adventure, has turned decisively against the war. They know that they were dragged into the war under false pretences, and every new death of a young American soldier further deepens their animosity to the war and the President who launched it. The demonstrations on the streets of American cities will increase in scope and radicalism. The Republicans face meltdown in the elections. This in turn is causing splits in the ranks of the Republican congressmen and women, who are very attached to their positions on Capitol Hill and all the privileges that go with them. As a result, George W Bush is fast becoming the most unpopular President in American history.
I am American no mater what yes i would love to one day visit many places but with respect and for me that probably will take my life time cause first with respect i would have to learn the language and customs and in most things im so slow shoot i dont even know all the so called american langages.But during all this war and dumbing down and lieing of americans in schools and junk like politics's find i wonder if my pride has been miss placed even being raped at 9 and all the harm ever caused to me in america by americas we at least i thought had true freedoms and we did but now i find what happened to our pride of helping as a country healing all the great things to me about us we stopped slavery in one way but in so many sad other ways we supported it in other countries i find .If not for the net i would still be ignorant to so much in the world bless the world for opening up my mind .war or no war what has happened threw news coverage or non-coverage just shocks me in so may ways now im so glad i have not been able to get any tv channels in a few years now cause i read i learned i have chatted with rude people from usa pretending to be from other countrys and rude people from other places but over all most have been polite and sharing people so bless you all and may you all stay safe if never i chat or see any of you again know all i wish could be my friend .I find so many so scared of our own goverment they leave the usa or they dont want to be a part of whats going on and can afford to leave the usa not a cheep thing to do but they cant help stand they cant aford to be locked up by a bad government and we have so many good people over the years who are and have been locked up for such trivial things and not even for harming others but just for smoking a herb that can heal and millions are allowed to smoke changed and drugs with slow killing chemicals in tobacco and told its the tobacco lies and more lies in the mighty web that was weaved but can lies and more lies keep a government strong when all the people wake up even the ones who have left us or want to be a part of the old constitution dream of at least freedom to live and be ourselfs in a none harming of others ????be safe walk in peace allways cause no mater where you are who you are someone or a so called no one we can be watched and even if you do nothing lies can be spread and told and harm can come sad so sad to learn how much history is repeating in such a bad way and not a good caring loving way when you cant love and respect yourself anymore whats left NOTHING
freedom is just another word for nothing else to loose
Sonshine
Most intended human inflicted harm I have encountered at the hands of others has been through acts of US white males of comparatively greater wealth and status. There are certainly some good ones well hidden among such, and I appreciate having known a few. However, the likes of the others and their mimics, taken as a whole, lead me to rejoice in understanding this world also harbors other sorts of creatures. Life is better at least avoiding if not fighting the former while taking comfort with the latter.
The main voice of the Bush administration Dick Cheney, doesn't pretend he is living im peace, with people like us. He understands class war perfectly.
The whole question of "leadership" is now being examined, a good thing. Bush thought himself an extraordinary person, with his wealth and privelege, his so called direct connection to the "will of God", his popularity at the polls and his elite connections. All of that is exposed as farce and he now seems a mediocre, unexceptional specimen at best.Shallow ,inarticulate, stubborn and desperate for recognition.
The people are now re-considering their own judgement and the danger of placing to much power in the hands of one individual.
