33 Strategies of War (Complete Animated Summary)

we live in a culture where democratic values of being fair to one and all are emphasized it is considered a good quality to be a team player to adjust and to cooperate with the people around us we are formally taught and trained in these qualities we are also told that if we do not follow these social rules we shall have to pay the price in the form of isolation and unpopularity sure learning to be benevolent is important but the big problem for many of us is that we are trained only for peace and not for what confronts us in the real life the conflict conflict exists all around us the world has become increasingly competitive in politics business and even in the arts we have competitors and opponents who will do almost anything to gain an edge and we can't possibly know how far one may go of course the world is full of nice and helpful people but there are so many wolves amongst the sheep the most complex and confusing are those bells that we face with those who are supposedly on our side such people outwardly play a team game they act friendly but in reality sabotages behind the scenes the knowledge presented here is not about how to be more forceful in getting what we want or how we should be defending ourselves but rather it is about how to be a more rational and strategic person especially when dealing with the inevitable conflicts that may come our way therefore the goal here is to be idealized by ourselves to become a strategic warrior so that we can handle difficult situations or difficult people and maneuver intelligently strategy is more than a science it is the application of knowledge to practical life some psychologists have argued that a lot of problems are often solved through conflicts in fact our success or failure in solving problems through conflicts depends on how well or how badly we deal with them usually people take three most common ways to deal with conflicts trying to avoid the conflict getting emotional and lashing out becoming sly and manipulative unfortunately all these commonly followed courses are counterproductive in the long run the reason for their being inadvisable is that they are not under conscious and rational control and consequently they often make the situation worse than before on the other hand strategic warriors operate much differently they think ahead towards their long-term goals and decide which fights to avoid and which battles are inevitable they know how to control and channel their emotions when they are forced to fight they fight but they do so with such indirection that it becomes very hard for the opponents to trace what they are up to doing so they maintain their peaceful exterior which is well liked in this political and diplomatic era in the ancient eras battles between tribes were fought in a brutal manner but as the tribes expanded and evolved into states it was grasped that war had too many hidden cost factors as well and waging it blindly could result in self-destruction even for the victor in short it was eventually realized that wars must be fought more rationally the word strategy comes from the ancient greek word strategos which literally means the leader of the army in this sense strategy is the art of generalship as this knowledge progressed military leaders discovered that the more they thought and planned ahead the more possibilities they had for success therefore a general had to be more strategic more indirect and clever than the other side this concept of strategic warfare aka winning the war without bloodshed appears in all cultures all periods and is considered a kind of universal wisdom before moving on to the strategies it is important to understand the six fundamental ideals that aim at transforming oneself into a strategic warrior in daily life look at things as they are not as your emotions color them while making a strategy you must see your emotions as a kind of disease that must be remedied fear will make you overestimate the enemy and act too defensively anger and impatience will draw you into rash action that will cut off your options overconfidence particularly as a result of success will make you go too far love and affection will blind you to the treacherous maneuvers of those who appear to be on your side remember war demands utmost realism judge people by their actions what people say about themselves does not matter people will say anything look what they have done deeds do not lie you must apply this logic to yourself as well while looking back at a defeat you must identify the things you could have done differently and remember that people who talk about justice and morality often try to gain an advantage on the chessboard depend on your own arms for success people tend to rely on things that have worked before this could mean accumulating wealth a large number of allies and the latest technology but all these resources are materialistic and mechanical true strategy is psychological the materialistic things can be taken away on the other hand if your mind is armed with the art of war no power can take it away with such a trained mind you can possibly find the right solution in the middle of any crisis worship athena not heiress athena always fought with the utmost intelligence and subtlety on the other hand ares fought with brutality and violence his figures of the world are actually quite stupid and easily misled your ideals should be the intelligence and subtlety of ethina that is rationalism and pragmatism rather than a waste of lives and resources elevate yourself above the battlefield in the jargon of war strategy is the art of commanding the entire military operation tactics on the other hand is the skill of dealing with the immediate needs of the battlefield unfortunately most of us are tacticians not strategists we become so enmeshed in the conflicts that we can only think of how to get what we want in the battle we are currently facing although to think strategically is difficult and unnatural you must train your mind to think about your overall goals and decide when to fight and when to walk away in order to achieve the power of strategy you must elevate yourself above the battlefield and focus on your long-term objective also you must craft an entire campaign and get out of the reactive mode that so many battles in life lock you into tactical people are heavy and stuck in the ground on the other hand strategists are light on their feet and can see far and wide spiritualize your warfare you face battles every day in your life and it is a reality for all creatures in their struggle to survive however the greatest of all battles is the battle with yourself you must aim at focusing on your weaknesses your emotions your lack of resolution and your ability to see things through to the end therefore you must declare an unceasing war on yourself as a warrior you must strive towards achieving better skills confidence courage and experience do not repress your doubts and fears instead face them down to lead a peaceful and successful life [Music] a war is waged and won through strategy imagine a strategy as a series of lines and arrows aimed at a goal before directing these arrows at your enemy you must first direct them at yourself your mind is the starting point of all war and all strategy but if your mind is overwhelmed by emotion it'll create strategies that will always miss the mark to become a true strategist you must take three steps first become aware of the weaknesses that can take hold of your mind second declare a kind of war on yourself to make yourself move forward and third wage ruthless and continual battle on the enemies within you and apply certain strategies to master yourself [Music] before you declare war against your enemies you must identify them people are subtle and evasive they disguise their intentions by pretending to be on your side however you need clarity you must become great at spotting your enemies by looking for signs that show their hostility towards you keep in mind that it is clarity you are seeking not paranoia it is the reason behind the downfall of many tyrants to start seeing an enemy in everyone they fail to keep a grip on reality and get embroiled in emotions that result from paranoia once you have pinpointed your enemies you can declare war against them inwardly your enemies can fill you with purpose and direction just like the opposite sides of a magnet a tough opponent will bring out the best in you see yourself as a fighter who is surrounded by enemies the feeling of being in continuous battle keeps you strong and alert the more clearly you define who you don't want to be the clearer your own sense of identity do not feel tempted towards the need for being liked better to be respected even feared in order to identify the sincerity of people around you get them emotional this is because usually people are more sincere if they argue on the other hand if you are dealing with a person who always agrees to whatever you say you may be dealing with a cheat or a chameleon of some dangerous type in the year 401 bc xenophon led greek mercenaries into persian territory when their leader died and they had no objective to fight for they got surrounded by the enemy and consequently got into a state of desperation they started fighting each other on the question of what to do next in those circumstances xenophon united them and gave them a reason to fight he said that they should continue to fight if they were to find their way back home this is how he defeated the inner enemy what most often weighs you down and brings you misery is the past in the form of unnecessary attachments repetitions of dried formulas and the memories of all victories and defeats what you need to do is to wage war against the past and force yourself to react to the present moment be ruthless on yourself do not repeat the same old methods sometimes you must force yourself to seek new directions even if they involve risk what you may lose in comfort and security will be compensated by the surprise for your enemies making it harder for them to guess what you are up to wage gorilla war on your mind do not stick to any static lines of defense and make everything flexible and mobile never take it for granted that your past success will continue eternally the greatest generals stand out not because they have more knowledge but because they have the ability to drop their preconceived notions especially when it is necessary and focus intensely on the present moment although it is valuable to analyze what went wrong in the past it is far more important to think in terms of the present moment if you do so you will make fewer mistakes to analyze later you must always be prepared to re-examine your cherished beliefs and principles your key principle should be to have no principles at all superior strategists always see things as they are and this makes them highly sensitive to dangers and opportunities they do not act according to preconceived ideas or methods they respond to the moment like children therefore constantly adapt and change and you will avoid the pitfalls of your previous wars in the heat of battle your mind tends to lose its balance too many things confront you at the same time like unexpected setbacks doubts and criticisms from your own allies you can be tempted to respond emotionally with fear depression or frustration but instead it is necessary to maintain your presence of mind in all circumstances you need to make your mind tougher by exposing it to adversity in moments of the heat of war you must force yourself to be more determined and more aggressive presence of mind is your ability to detach yourself and see the entire battlefield with clarity the advantages of this distant mental view include the chances of preparation and mastering the details beforehand if people around you think that you're some kind of buddha that is so detached that it brings you wisdom from some mysterious source then let them think the less they understand you the better it is for you in the year 1801 lord nelson disobeyed his terrified commander in the battle of copenhagen he by keeping a calm head in the most turbulent situation finally defeated the danish navy you become your own worst enemy when you waste your precious time dreaming of the future instead of engaging in the present if nothing seems urgent to you you are only half involved in what you do the only way to change is through action and pressure from the outside place yourself on death ground where your back is against the wall and you have to fight like hell to get out alive when you keep an escape route in the back of your mind like something you can turn to if the situation really gets out of control this arrangement which may appear to be a blessing actually becomes a curse it divides you and may result in your defeat sometimes you really need to burn the ships you must think of death fairly often and be prepared to embrace it think that you have limited days left and you must make most of them live with a sense of urgency it is always better to take on one daunting challenge than to diffuse your efforts across many act before you are ready for a challenge and it will develop your ability to act fast make risk a constant practice that is never attack your enemies with nothing to lose and always try to lower the other side's sense of urgency the easier they take you the better it is theodore dostwicki already knew that he was left with very limited days before his execution however he made use of his time creating each of his works as if they were his last his works are exceptional because he had an agitated mind he did not care for comfort and could not wait for the right time all of this resulted in exceptional works that he created [Music] you may have brilliant ideas or the ability to create unbeatable strategies but if the group you lead and depend on to execute your plans is unresponsive and uncreative and its members always put their personal agendas first your ideas will mean nothing the structure of the army is a chain of command and the relationship of the parts to the whole the primary goal in war is to build up mobility into every structure of your army this means having a single authority on the top so that any possible confusion could be avoided and at the same time giving soldiers a sense of overall goal to be accomplished also they must be aware of the needed latitude to take action for the achievement of that girl and to give motivation to soldiers so that they could get irresistible momentum with forces organized in this manner a general can adapt circumstances faster than the enemy can gaining a decided advantage [Music] the problem in leading any group is that people inevitably have their own agendas if you are too authoritarian they will resent you and rebel in silent ways if you are too easygoing they will revert to their natural selfishness and you will lose control what you need to do is to create a chain of command in which people do not feel constrained by your influence yet follow your lead put the people in the right place and they will enact the spirit of your ideas without being robotic make your commands clear and inspiring focusing attention on the team not the leader create a sense of participation but do not fall into group think which is the irrationality of collective decision making make yourself look like a paragon of fairness but never relinquish the unity of command a proper chain of command and the control it brings does not happen accidentally it is your creation a work of art that requires constant attention and care general george marshall imbued his philosophies on leadership to a handful of people whom he had put into authoritative positions with high risk responsibilities one of these men was dwight eisenhower as a result martial could rely more on his men as they held the same beliefs and that is why they ran their positions according to his vision therefore if you want a chain of command that you can truly rely on create a sense of participation and put loyal soldiers into the right place will guarantee the desired outcome [Music] the critical elements in war are speed and adaptability that is the ability to move and make decisions faster than the enemy break your forces into independent groups that can operate on their own make your forces elusive and unstoppable by infusing them with the spirit of the campaign giving them a mission to accomplish and then letting them run the essence of strategy is not to carry out a brilliant plan that proceeds in steps instead it is to put yourself in a situation where you have more options than the enemy does this is what the control chaos strategy is all about the key to a mission command is an overall group philosophy with such a philosophy infused you can decentralize your army segment them into teams and give your different corpse clear missions that fit your strategic goals then you can let them accomplish those goals the way they find more suitable without your intervention being needed [Music] the secret to motivating people and maintaining their morale is to get them to think less about themselves and more about the group involve them in a cause a crusade against a hated enemy make them think that their survival is tied to the success of the army as a whole lead them from the front to infect them with enthusiasm let your soldiers see you in the trenches making sacrifices for the cause this will fill them with the desire to emulate and please you make both rewards and punishments rare but meaningful compared to an army without such a cause an army motivated in this way can work wonders using this technique can make up for any lacking in the material resources now the thing to understand is that we humans are selfish by nature our first thoughts in any situation revolve around our own interests however at the same time we try to disguise our selfishness we make motives look altruistic or appear disinterested and this poses problems for you as a leader therefore to create the best group dynamic use the following steps unite your troops around a cause and make them fight for an idea keep their bellies full people cannot stay motivated if their material needs remain unmet lead from the front that is set your personal example of going through the same hardships that they face and demonstrate your involvement by showing your personal sacrifices concentrate on their life force and flow of energy by keeping them busy acting for the purpose play to their emotions the best way to motivate people is not through reason but through emotion masters of man management have a sense of drama they know when and how to appeal to the emotions of their soldiers mix harshness and kindness you must maintain a good balance between punishments and rewards too many rewards will spoil your soldiers and make them take you for granted too much punishment will destroy their morale build the group myth the armies with the highest morale are armies that have been tested in battle soldiers who have fought alongside each other through many campaigns develop a kind of group myth based on their past victories it is advisable to start with easy battles that they can win and build their confidence be ruthless with grumblers get rid of the black sheep who disrupt your leadership fighting in a defensive manner is not always a sign of weakness in many cases it can be the height of strategic wisdom its requirements are simple first you must make the most of your resources which means fighting with perfect economy and engaging only in battles that are necessary second you must know how and when to retreat luring an aggressive enemy into an imprudent attack and then waiting patiently for the moment they get exhausted and third launching a vicious counter attack to fight this way you must be a master of the art of deception we all have limited resources but the battles we face in life are enormous the danger comes from trying to surpass our limits if we get seduced by some glittering prize and as a result overextend ourselves we end up exhausted and vulnerable the thing is that we only have so much energy to expend before we tire only so much in the way of food and resources is available to us our skills and capacities can only go so far as they definitely have some limit an animal must live within the limits it has it does not try to fly higher or run faster or expend endless energy amassing a pile of food for that would exhaust it and leave it vulnerable to attack it simply tries to make the most of what it has a cat for instance instinctively practice an economy of motion and gesture never wasting effort similarly people who live in poverty are acutely aware of their limits forced to make the most of what they have they are endlessly inventive necessity creates a powerful effect on their creativity the problem faced by those who live in societies of abundance is that they lose a sense of limit they are carefully shielded from death and can pass months even years without contemplating it we imagine endless time at our disposal and slowly drift further from reality and imagine endless energy to draw on thinking we can get what we want simply by trying harder but no victory can be good which ends up exhausting ourselves more or depleting more of our important resources the expression pirate victory comes from the king virus who achieved a victory which was as good as defeat because it came at too great a cost no one in this world is completely weak or strong and it is important to make sure that you assess your enemy and attack their weaknesses accordingly initiating the battle by moving first will often put you at a disadvantage you will expose your strategy and limit your options instead of doing so you must learn the power of holding back and letting your opponent move first which will give you the flexibility of delivering a counter-attack from any angle you choose and at your own pace in the 1944 democratic presidential race the republican party slandered franklin roosevelt but he did not respond until they attacked his dog roosevelt humiliated his opponents by defending his pet and exposing their desperate move for what it really was in history defenders are more often victorious than attackers now by nature many of us like roosevelt could not bear feeling cornered and having no options this is partly because of our flexible nature we prefer to bend to circumstances changing our directions effortlessly as needed early on when roosevelt campaigned in the usual aggressive way of american politics arguing his case and attacking his opponents he felt hopelessly constricted through experiment he learned the power of holding back now he would let his opponents make the first move whether by attacking him or by detailing their own position they would expose themselves giving him openings to use their own words against them later on by staying silent under their attacks he would goad them into going too far which played badly with the public once their own aggression had made them vulnerable roosevelt would come in for the kill the best way to fight off aggressors is to keep them from attacking you to accomplish this you must create the impression of being more powerful than you are build a reputation of being reckless and even a little crazy when you lose you take your enemy with you if your enemy is never sure about the cost of messing with you they will never move in to find out play on people's natural fears and anxieties to make them think twice first people are more likely to attack you if they see you as weak and vulnerable second they cannot know for sure that you are weak they depend on the signs you give out and third they are after easy victories that is why they prey on the vulnerable and weak surprise your enemy with a bold maneuver reverse the thread and turn the tables with a sudden move designed to scare them you can also threaten something they value there is no need to go too far just inflict a little pain to indicate that you are capable of causing worse [Music] to retreat while facing a strong enemy is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength by resisting the temptation to respond to an aggressor you buy yourself valuable time time to recover think and gain perspective let your enemy advance in favor of space they will soon overextend themselves and start making mistakes for you it is time that is more important your enemies will be revealed as rash and you as wise soon enough sometimes the best way to accomplish the most out of a situation is by doing absolutely nothing during world war 1 england and germany fought aside war in east africa where each of them had a colony the english commander general smarts moved against a much smaller german army in german east africa led by a man named colonel paul smith was hoping for a quick win as soon as he had finished off the germans his troops could move to more important theaters of war but paul refused to engage him and retreated south time and time again smutz thought he had paul corner only to find out that the german officer had moved on just hours earlier smutz followed him across the rivers mountains and forests as a result his soldiers were now vulnerable to small harassing actions from the germans which destroyed their morale as time went by smut's army was decimated by hunger and disease all without ever fighting a real battle by the end of the war the german lieutenant had managed to lead his enemy on a four-year cad and mouse chase that had completely tied up valuable english forces and yielded them nothing in return most people respond to aggression by getting involved in it in some way it is almost impossible to hold back by disengaging completely and retreating you show great power and restraint your enemies are desperate for you to react retreat infuriates and provokes them into further attack so in such circumstances it is best to keep retreating exchanging space for time let them take the land they want like germans lure them into a void of what can be called non-action time is on your side for you are not wasting any of it in useless battles [Music] the idea behind the conventional offensive warfare is simple by attacking your enemy first you create your own circumstances before they plan anything to surprise you to be successful at offensive warfare you must plan it in intense detail thinking in terms of the whole campaign and not individual battles [Music] to become a grand strategist you must clarify your life as a whole it requires you to focus on your ultimate goal and make a detailed plan to reach it ignore the conventional wisdom about what you should or should not be doing you need to be patient enough to plot several steps ahead to wage a full campaign rather than fighting battles the grand strategy has four main principles focus on your greater goal that is your final destiny widen your perspective that is see further in time and space than your enemy does severe the roots that is you first need to know what motivates your enemy and what the sources of his power are once identified just attempt at eliminating that lifeblood take the indirect route to your goal preventing your opponent from seeing the purpose of your actions gives you an enormous advantage [Music] if you understand how the mind of the leader of an army works you have the key to deceiving and controlling it the best way to find the leader's weaknesses is not necessarily through spies but through the close observation of his psyche once you discover their vulnerability some uncontrollable temper a weakness for the opposite sex or some knowing insecurity you have the material to destroy them everyone has a shadow this shadow comprises everything people try to hide from the world their weaknesses secret desires selfish intentions and so on this shadow is invisible from a distance to see it you must get up close physically and most of all psychologically only then will it come into relief follow close in your target's footsteps and he will not notice how much of his shadow he has revealed [Music] the use of speed will bring you untold power the strategy works best with a setup or a lull your unexpected actions catches your enemy off guard we live in a world in which speed is prized above almost anything else acting faster than the other side has itself become the primary goal but most often people are merely in a hurry reaching frantically to events all of which makes them vulnerable and waste their time in the long run in order to separate yourself from the pack and to harness a speed that has devastating force you must be organized and strategic first you prepare yourself before taking any action scanning your enemy for weaknesses then you find a way to get your opponents to underestimate you so that they lower their guard when you strike unexpectedly they will freeze up when you hit again it is from the side and out of nowhere it is the unanticipated blow that makes the biggest impact [Music] people are constantly struggling to control you and getting you to act in a way that fulfills their interests they want to keep the dynamic on their terms the only way to get the upper hand is to make your play for control more intelligent and insidious instead of trying to dominate every move that the other side makes focus on defining the nature of the relationship itself shift the conflict to the train of your choice maneuver to control your opponent's minds pushing their emotional buttons and compelling them to make mistakes if necessary let them feel that they are in charge of the entire situation so that they would lower their card if you control the overall direction and framing of the battle anything they do will play into your hands superior strategist understand that it is impossible to control exactly how an enemy will respond to this or that move if the strategist can control the mood and mindset of his enemies it no longer remains important how exactly they respond to his maneuvers if he can make them frightened panicky overly aggressive or angry he actually controls the wider scope of their actions and can trap them mentally before cornering them physically there are four principles to this art keep them on their heels attack first so that your enemy cannot take any unexpected actions to ruin your plans you then keep up a relentless pressure so that your momentary advantage could culminate to the fullest compel mistakes fight your bells to create such a level of frustration that they keep making mistakes during the war assume passive control make your enemy think that they are in control so that they are less likely to resist you or become defensive to use this technique you need to be a master of your emotions first and be prepared for that [Music] everyone has some source of power on which they depend when you face your rivals search below the surface for that source the center of gravity that holds the entire structure together the center can be their wealth their popularity a key position or a winning strategy hitting them there will inflict disproportionate pain find out what the other side most cherishes and protects and that should be your target to find group center or gravity you must understand its structure and the culture within which it operates on the other hand in the case that your enemy is an organization it is almost always strategically wise to disrupt your enemies lines of communication if the parts cannot communicate with the whole chaos ensues your enemy's center of gravity can be something abstract like a quality concept or aptitude on which it depends it can also be his reputation his capacity to deceive or his unpredictability but such strengths become critical vulnerabilities if you can make them unattractive or unusable [Music] when you look at your enemies look at the parts that make up the hole by separating the parts sewing dissension and division from within you can weaken even the most formidable foe in setting up your attack work on their minds to create internal conflict the joints are the weakest part of any structure break the joints and using this way you will be able to divide people internally and open them up to suggestions and change the best way to make an enemy divide is to occupy the center when you take the center of the enemy it will naturally break into parts they will try to hit you from more than one side to make people join you separate them from their past when you size up your targets look for what connects them to the past which is now the source of their resistance to a new center of gravity divide their minds in order to conquer them from within the divide and rule strategy is invaluable when applied within an organization and when you can influence them verbally start by seeming to take your opponent's side on some issue occupying the flank once there however create doubt about some part of their argument tweaking and diverting it a little bit this will lower their resistance and maybe create a little inner conflict about a cherished idea or belief the conflict will weaken making them vulnerable to further suggestions and guidance when you attack people directly you stiffen their resistance and make your task much harder there is a better way distract your opponent's attention to the front then attack them from the side where they least expect by hitting them where they are soft tender and unprotected you create a shock a moment of weakness for you to exploit bait people into exposing their weakness then rake them with the fire from the side taking the fight out of people through strategic acts of kindness generosity and charm will clear your path helping you to save energy for the fights that you cannot avoid the people who win true power in the difficult modern world are those who have learned indirection they know the value of approaching at an angle disguising their intentions while lowering the enemy's resistance and then hitting the soft exposed flank instead of butting horns the ultimate evolution of strategy is toward more and more in direction an opponent who cannot see where you are heading is at a severe disadvantage [Music] people will take advantage of every weakness in your defenses which is why you must not leave any holes similarly to encircle your enemies apply constant pressure on all sides and cut off their access to the outside world when you feel their determination weakening tighten the news in 1778 zulu warriors battled the british in natal surprising them with powerful surprise attacks out of nowhere as the british paused to reload the zuru's crept closer with one occasionally touching the lines and disemboweling a british soldier with a strong zulu spear that made an unbearable sucking sound as it went in and out the zulus would tighten the circle sending a shiver down the spines of the men the zulus fought with such intensity that the british had never seen before charging forward as if bullets couldn't hurt them in history's great military sieges the greater danger almost always comes from the panic and confusion within the defenders lose their grip on reality as they are unable to see what is happening beyond the siege and lose contact with the outside world a being that cannot see the world around it is doomed you succumb to panic and confusion when all you can see are zulus closing in reduce their options for intervention and eliminate all escape routes your enemies will be enraged by the lack of room to maneuver against you just as the inhabitants of a city under siege will slowly lose their minds always aim to make your adversaries feel in command of the situation while luring them into such a pit they'll only go as far as you'd like them to go enclosing the opponent has a negative impact on his mental health the feeling of being trapped will make them retreat if they can [Music] before the battle begins put your opponent in a position of such weakness that victory is easy and quick create dilemmas where all potential choices are bad no matter how strong you are fighting endless battles with people is exhausting costly and unimaginative why strategists favor the art of maneuver before the fight even begins they find ways to place their enemies in positions of such weakness that victory is easy and quick once a young swordsman challenged master samurai was practicing the art of winning without hands the deal held on an island as samurai decided when the swordsman arrived on the island at the appointed date and time the grandmaster moved the boat away from the shore as soon as the swordsman got out leaving him stranded in this way the wise samurai won the duel without his hands his simple method being the maneuvering of his opponent into the weakest possible position there are four main principles of maneuver warfare craft a plan with branches analyze the situation in detail to figure out the best position to occupy give yourself room to maneuver be mobile do not commit to anything that will limit your options give your enemy dilemmas not problems problems can be solved dilemmas give the enemy a choice between the only bad options create maximum disorder your enemy wants to read you act predictably and they will protect yourself with chaos meaningless information and use disorder to your advantage nothing happens the way you expect it people can never cease to surprise you the logical response to an unpredictable environment is to examine circumstances in detail and try to anticipate what could go wrong there is no need to get bogged down in analysis instead use the data you can get to bolster the effectiveness of your strategy outsmart the opponent through calculated moves which grant you greater control over the situation at hand [Music] before and during negotiation you must keep advancing creating relentless pressure and compelling the other side to settle on your terms the more you take the more you can give back in meaningless concessions create a reputation for being tough and uncompromising so that people are back on their heels before they even meet you people will want to take from you but only in the guise of morality and honesty rather than from direct combat which they expect to fail at it is important to keep in mind that negotiation in war is about gaining leverage and your goal should always be to put yourself in a stronger position persuade the other party to agree to your terms the more you take the more frivolous compromises you will make to obtain a psychological advantage even before the negotiations begin your credibility must be tough and uncompromising in 359 bc alexander the great's father philip ii of macedonia came to power with edens refusing to recognize him he spoke of peace and prosperity as he continued to expand his empire uniting other greek states to lead an attack on the persians people often try to be nice compromising and conciliatory to others because they tend to expect the same in return but experience proves otherwise those you treat well will often take you for granted they will see you as weak and exploit you earning other people's confidence is a strategic decision not a moral one if it serves them many people will break their promises and will find every reason to justify their actions if you're weak use talks to buy a time before you're ready to fight negotiate willing to come to a win-win arrangement but keep moving and focusing on your organization's progress you avoid immediate conflict while furthering your interests your demands are bold yet ever more reasonable and your shadow grows the soviets wanted control of afghanistan for strategic geopolitical purposes so they installed a puppet dictator and attempted to fight the rising power but their plan to persuade the afghans to embrace socialism eventually failed with tens of thousands of men fighting against the soviets the afghans were able to break free from the soviet domination the invasion of afghanistan by the soviet union was a classic gamble they were enticed by the possibility of winning but they failed to recognize reality since the stakes were higher and their prestige was at stake they lost a large number of troops and public support at home they had no right to invade in the first place and there was no way out now their best option was to cut their losses and withdraw but gambling is an emotional game and retreating became too difficult the lesson is simple you are judging this world by how well you bring things to an end the art of ending things well is knowing when to stop the height of strategic wisdom is to avoid all conflicts and entanglements from which there are no realistic exits never end anything badly slowly or painfully doing so will make you averse to conflict next time and will leave you bitter and angry before entering action calculate your exit strategy with precision don't let your pride or reputation pull you in deeper a defeat in the short run is better than a disaster in the long run [Music] [Music] people expect your attitude to follow established patterns and norms as a strategist your job is to defy their standards and upset them first do something usual to improve their perception of you then surprise them with something extraordinary sometimes the ordinary is extraordinary because it is unforeseen and unexpected great advantage comes from not meeting your opponent's expectations others have a mental model of you based on past experiences stories and conflict by going against this image they've created of you you surprise them in your favor unconventional warfare has four main principles as taken from the great practitioners of the art work outside the enemy's experience know your enemies well then contrive a strategy that goes outside their experience unfold the extraordinary out of the ordinary fix your opponent's expectations with some venal ordinary maneuver and then hit them with the extraordinary a show of stunning force from an entirely new angle frighten people upon occasion allow yourself to operate in a way that is deliberately irrational in order to inspire fear as an alternative act somewhat randomly as randomness is often disturbing to humans keep the wheels in constant motion make a point of breaking the habits you have developed of acting in a way that is contrary to the way you acted in the past [Music] when you yourself come under a moral attack from a clever enemy do not whine or get angry fight fire with fire martin luther a german priest attacked the catholic church by creating a law of morals against the pope he criticized and objected lavish lifestyles of those who had headed the church and the extraordinary power they were given he argued that the bible had no justification for such lavishness and living style and that the catholic church was not a spiritual organization but a political one by pointing out these hypocrisies he forever tainted the image of the pope and the church in the eyes of the public luther revealed hypocrisy justifying his arguments as moral attacking the reputation of the pope and refuting him luther won the diplomatic and political battle with the pope by appealing to the people on religious grounds people will not join your cause unless it seems to be just or righteous moral warriors know how to influence people's emotion they appear vulnerable but are actually quite dangerous and strong despite the fact that luther was continually attacked by the church the public support for him grew over time he lived an exemplary life and his writings for which he declined to accept payment compelled the public to revere him you are good and your opponent is evil you create the us versus them dynamic demonize the other and present your side as the virtuous one [Music] the feeling of emptiness or void meaning silence isolation non-engagement with others is for most people intolerable give your enemies no target to attack be dangerous but elusive then watch as they chase you into the void instead of frontal battles deliver irritating but damaging side attacks and pinprick bites when napoleon attempted to conquer russia he believed it was going to be a simple victory but this time things did not work so well his french forces of 450 000 men were reduced to a mere 100 000 losing even more fighters on their retreat the russians were playing for time drawing the french forward with little conflict destroying any resource they could not carry the plan was to frustrate napoleon by giving him nothing to feed on the russians disengaged completely forcing napoleon's men to chase coasts to make things worse russia's difficult climate would destroy all of his organized plans many thousands of french soldiers died of disease countless others simply lost the will to fight guerrilla warfare works best on the minds of large armies tiring and starving them using nature to your advantage by letting them freeze in the cold or dry up in the sun when your rival is ready to fight frustrate him through your absence remember this war is psychological it is more on the level of strategy than anything else that you give the enemy nothing to hold on to giving them nothing tangible to counter [Music] the best way to advance your cause with minimum of effort and bloodshed is to create a constantly shifting network of alliances getting others to compensate for your deficiencies do your dirty work and fight your wars at the same time you must work to solve dissension in the alliances of others weakening your enemies by isolating them make partnerships with others but don't get emotionally attached to them when required change your alliances sentiment is associated with personal relationships but not with business partnerships people would admire you for being spirited and practical be cautious about forming alliances with the wrong people never become completely dependent on one ally only make sure you have multiple allies on hand at all times being too focused and dependent on one person gives them too much control over you limiting your choices this however does not necessarily imply that you should have a large network of allies as this would only get you involved in pointless fights a friend to all is seen to be a friend to no one [Music] life's greatest dangers often come not from external enemies but from our supposed colleagues and friends who pretend to work for the common cause while scheming to sabotages work to instill doubts and insecurities in such rivals getting them to think too much and act defensively make them hang themselves through their own self-destructive tendencies leaving you blameless and clean you yourself must abstain from complaining about people or attacking them directly as this will only make you look bad personalities often form around weaknesses and insecurity don't be aggressive a lot always have a friendly exterior otherwise you may harm your own position find subtle ways to break your enemies down let them plant the seeds of their own destruction never interfere with an enemy that is in the process of committing suicide [Music] never seem too ambitious or you will stir up resentment gradually take small bites and before anyone knows it you will have acquired an empire in almost every film alfred hitchcock made he had to wrestle power from the director the actors and the rest of the crew he wanted his vision to be reflected in the script but he didn't want to squeeze the writer's neck too hard so he moved slowly instead he gave the rider free reign to work loosely from his notes and then he would go for revisions to form the script he desire in order to avoid confrontation people will give you more leeway and give in to small demands with short attention spans they repeat mistakes allowing your power to grow whereas you simply play for time when you take a bite throw a small one act like it is out of self-defense appear as the underdog and give the sense and idea that you have limited your goals by taking pauses between bites also sometimes it makes sense to take a big bite and return some of what you have taken people only see your generosity and limited actions not the increasing power you are amassing [Music] communication is kind of four it's field of battle the restrained and defensive minds of the people you want to influence the goal is to penetrate their defenses and occupy their minds avoid static language don't be preachy and overly personal your words should spark action not passive contemplation in renaissance florence nicolo machiavelli was discharged from his pose aiming to regain favor he then wrote a title-less letter to the florentine government on how to take over and keep power as a ruler he didn't receive the thanks he was hoping for but he kept writing which improved his remaining life and immortalized him as one of the most influential writers on the art of governance and modern politics after his death the letter was published as the prince and another manuscript as discourses on levy you may have brilliant ideas the kind that could revolutionize the world but unless you can express them effectively they will have no force no power to enter people's minds in a deep and lasting way you must not focus on yourself or on the need you feel to express what you have to say words are weapons articulate and make profound your communication the precise expression of valuable ideas can lift you out of poverty and wars before they begin and with a bit of luck withstand a fall of time [Music] infiltrate your opponent's ranks to gather useful information about their weaknesses and plans and then operate from the inside to undermine them by doing this you give them little to see hide your hostile moves in order to get what you want follow those who already have what you want rather than fighting them a system that rots from the inside out will eventually collapse in 1968 the north vietnamese launched an assault on the south vietnamese and american armies to achieve this remarkable feat the north vietnamese infiltrated the city with men they dug tunnels inside the citadel with the help of masked insiders and left weapon stockpiles at strategic locations they then gained an insider's understanding of the command structure and used it to solve widespread chaos that made the citadel security crumble north vietnamese dubbed this technique the blooming lotus its origins can be traced back to asian military philosophy the asian philosophy was to penetrate the enemy's heart rather than concentrating on the enemy's strong front and seeking peripheral ways to join human nature is normally the biggest flaw of any conspiracy larger the number of people involved in the scheme the more likely it is that someone will discover it whether intentionally or accidentally there are a few things you can do to protect yourself from this reduce number of conspirators to a minimum only include them in plot details if needed the less they know the less they have to say the timetable of your plan should also be revealed as late as possible this would give them no time to separate from it once the strategy is unfolded everyone must stick to it [Music] in a world where political considerations are paramount the most effective form of aggression is the best hidden one aggression behind a compliant even loving exterior to follow the passive aggression strategy you must seem to go along with people offering no resistance but actually you dominate the situation in 1940 president roosevelt faced a dilemma and it was an unwritten rule in american politics no president would seek a third term roosevelt on the other hand had a lot of unfinished business roosevelt would face resistance from within his own party if he announced his desire for a third term many people had always accused him of being a dictator he responded to this dilemma by motivating others to seek nomination but on the other hand played crafty and never ruled himself out completely as the convention started roosevelt withdrew making his absence felt as a result the convention floor was echoed with the delegates cry we want roosevelt the slogan went on for an hour the president's name was entered for the nomination and he won by a landslide on the first ballot passive aggression is a great strategy everyone must learn how to defend themselves against the vast opposition it's never a good idea to appear too eager for power riches or fame your ambition will propel you to the top it's better to hide your power place seeming as if you don't want it but it's been thrust upon you it is a brilliant form of aggression to be passive and have people come to you your animosity is subtle your opponent feels in control since you don't appear to be eager for power and covertly fight for your cause terror is the ultimate way to paralyze people's will to resist and destroy their ability to plan a strategic response the goal in a terror campaign is not battlefield victory but causing maximum chaos and provoking the other side into desperate overreaction the nizari were an organization pursuing their own interests by using assassins becoming one with large crowds in the streets only to emerge and assassinate their targets with the dagger creating chaos and spreading uncertainty in what was once a familiar and peaceful surrounding at the same time they increased their power by recruiting anyone who felt betrayed by the state and its violent attempts to squash the rebellion now to plot the most effective counter strategy against acts of terror victims of terror must stay balanced they must minimize the impending chaos through any means possible as this is the most important step by staying strong rational and aggressive in the face of such plots they can be broken along with their negative impacts [Music] you

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Length: 61min 44sec (3704 seconds)

Published: Sun May 22 2022