The Protracted War

The great master, Sun Tzu, lived in the fifth century Before Christ.  (That’s right, I said Before Christ, not “before common era.”  If my use of the word Christ offends you, then go read someone else’s blog.)  He was, and still is, considered the greatest expert on warfare.  His book, The Art of War, was revered for many centuries.  It was then ignored for several centuries, it has now experienced a great resurgence of study and reverence.  I too have read his book.  As a combat veteran, I see the wisdom in Sun Tzu’s work.  What Master Sun knew 7000 years ago is still true today.  I have seen several documentary films that show where twentieth century generals have followed Sun Tzu’s teaching and succeeded and others that went against Sun Tzu’s writing and lost.  Even though the tools and methods of war have changed a great deal since Master Sun’s time, the philosophy and psychology of war has not.

In one of the many scrolls that make up the chapters of his book, Sun Tzu says, “There is no instance where a country benefits from a protracted war.”  We can look back on wars fought in the twentieth century and see where this one statement is true. World War I became a war of stalemate.  Trench warfare was stalled for a long time and over one million troops were killed.  Both the French and German governments were almost bankrupted when the American Army entered the fray and, by changing the tactics, brought the war to a fairly quick end.

The most successful type of warfare of the twentieth century was the German “Blitzkrieg,” or “Lightening War.”  The German shock troops moved it quickly, struck brutally and won quickly.  Even against the huge French Army caved in very quickly to Hitler’s troops.  Then when General Patton arrived on the scene, he moved just as quickly to put an end to Hitler and his madness.

Then came the longest and most costly war this nation has ever endured, The Cold War.  Yes, the Cold War never became a shooting war, but the United States government and Soviet Russia spend untold billions of dollars in the arms race.  The Cold War’s arms race kept both countries at bay because we knew that winning a shooting war would be almost impossible for either side.  Without a shot being fired, this Cold War almost bankrupted the Soviet Union.  Almost, but not quite.  The fall of the Soviet Union was caused mainly by Soviet aggression in Afghanistan. There, they fought a long, drawn-out fight that gained nothing for Russia except a debt that it could not sustain and finally, the Communist government collapsed.

A few years earlier the United States was in a very similar quandary.  A protracted struggle in Southeast Asia  gained nothing for America.  Luckily we got out of there before the war broke us completely.  Unfortunately we learned nothing either.  The war on terror has caused us to have troops in harms way for over eight years now.  Again, we have gained nothing for the high price we have paid and continue to pay, both in precious American lives and the financial crisis that it has caused.

So, once again, I call for the president to either step up, take the advice of his generals and win this thing once and for all or pull out now.  Yes, I know what will happen if we abandon the fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, there will be a bloodbath.  Millions of innocent people, including children, will suffer and die.  That is why I would prefer for the president to choose a swift victory.  There will be a great loss of life, but it will be over soon and we can all settle down to a peaceful life.

Our economy is in great peril, we don’t need the expense of a long war adding to it.  God bless our troops and let us all be thankful to the enormous debt that we owe to them.  But, Mr. President, either let them fight to win, or bring them home.

John A. Wilson

President

Conservative Action Project.