05-07-2009, 07:28 AM
Quote:This is totally wrong. Give one example of a political, economic, or military objective that has actually been achieved since the end of WW II by siege.
--Pete
"Siege" can be replaced with much of the failures of american policy in the pertinent matters to this topic. In that we overvalue Skill and undervalue Effort. And yet we stand aghast at our failures like Goliath in every conflict where an opponent doesn't play by our rules. Gladwell here references Maurice de Saxe's statement that war is about "legs, not arms". This couldn't be any more true, especially in our present conflicts. Actual diplomacy is hard, it takes a lot of effort. It's much easier to lay out a bunch of arbitrary rules and then sit back smug as if our enemies have any intention of following them.