Fighting Talk: Forty Maxims on War, Peace, and Strategy

210 Pages·2007·1.87 MB·English

by  Colin S. Gray

Fighting Talk
PraegerSecurityInternationalAdvisoryBoard
BoardCochairs
LochK.Johnson,RegentsProfessorofPublicandInternationalAffairs,SchoolofPublic
andInternationalAffairs,UniversityofGeorgia(U.S.A.)
PaulWilkinson,ProfessorofInternationalRelationsandChairmanoftheAdvisoryBoard,
CentrefortheStudyofTerrorismandPoliticalViolence,UniversityofSt.Andrews(U.K.)
Members
EliotA.Cohen,RobertE.OsgoodProfessorofStrategicStudiesandDirector,Philip
MerrillCenterforStrategicStudies,PaulH.NitzeSchoolofAdvancedInternational
Studies,TheJohnsHopkinsUniversity(U.S.A.)
AnthonyH.Cordesman,ArleighA.BurkeChairinStrategy,CenterforStrategicand
InternationalStudies(U.S.A.)
The´re`seDelpech,DirectorofStrategicAffairs,AtomicEnergyCommission,andSenior
ResearchFellow,CERI(FondationNationaledesSciencesPolitiques),Paris(France)
SirMichaelHoward,formerChicheleProfessoroftheHistoryofWarandRegisProfessor
ofModernHistory,OxfordUniversity,andRobertA.LovettProfessorofMilitaryand
NavalHistory,YaleUniversity(U.K.)
LieutenantGeneralClaudiaJ.Kennedy,USA(Ret.),formerDeputyChiefofStafffor
Intelligence,DepartmentoftheArmy(U.S.A.)
PaulM.Kennedy,J.RichardsonDilworthProfessorofHistoryandDirector,International
SecurityStudies,YaleUniversity(U.S.A.)
RobertJ.O’Neill,formerChicheleProfessoroftheHistoryofWar,AllSoulsCollege,
OxfordUniversity(Australia)
ShibleyTelhami,AnwarSadatChairforPeaceandDevelopment,Departmentof
GovernmentandPolitics,UniversityofMaryland(U.S.A.)
JusufWanandi,co-founderandmember,BoardofTrustees,CentreforStrategicand
InternationalStudies(Indonesia)
FareedZakaria,Editor,NewsweekInternational(U.S.A.)
Fighting Talk
FORTY MAXIMS ON WAR, PEACE,
AND STRATEGY
Colin S. Gray
PRAEGERSECURITYINTERNATIONAL
(cid:1)
Westport,Connecticut London
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Gray,ColinS.
Fightingtalk:fortymaximsonwar,peace,andstrategy/ColinS.Gray.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–275–99131–9(alk.paper)
1.Militaryartandscience—Quotations,maxims,etc. 2.War—Quotations,
maxims,etc. 3.Strategy—Quotations,maxims,etc. I.Title.
U19.G738 2007
355.02—dc22 2007003039
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:1)C 2007byColinS.Gray
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007003039
ISBN-13:978–0–275–99131–9
ISBN-10:0–275–99131–8
Firstpublishedin2007
PraegerSecurityInternational,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Thisbookisdedicatedtomyresearchstudents,pastandpresent.
TheyhavetaughtmemorethanIhavetaughtthem.
ContentiousThoughtsonWarandPeace
Waristhefatherofallthings.
HeraclitusofEphesus,540–480BC
In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder,
bloodshed—but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the
Renaissance.InSwitzerlandtheyhadbrotherlylove,500yearsofdemocracy
andpeace,andwhatdidtheyproduce?Thecuckooclock.
HarryLime,inthemovieTheThirdMan,1949
I hold it as a principle that the duration of peace is in direct proportion to
theslaughteryouinflictupontheenemy.Theharderyouhitthem,thelonger
theyremainquiet.
GeneralMikhailSkobelev,1881
Contents
Preface xi
Introduction:GettingtheBigThingsRightEnough xiii
PartI: WarandPeace
1 TheContextsofWarAreAllImportant 3
2 WarIsAboutPeace,andPeaceCanBeAboutWar 7
3 ItIsMoreDifficulttoMakePeacethanItIstoMakeWar 11
4 WarWorks!—ButAlwaysHasUnintendedandUnanticipated
Consequences 16
5 PeaceandOrderAreNotSelf-Enforcing,TheyHavetoBe
OrganizedandKeptbySomebody 20
6 NotOnlyPolities,butSocietiesandTheirCulturesMakeWarand
Peace 24
7 ReasonReignsOverWar,butPassionandChanceThreatentoRule 28
8 ThereIsMoretoWarthanWarfare 32
9 PolicyIsKing,butOftenIsIgnorantoftheNatureandCharacter
ofWar 36
10 WarIsAlwaysaGamble 40
PartII: Strategy
11 KnowledgeofStrategyIsVital:TheFlameofStrategic
UnderstandingHastoBeKeptLit 47
viii Contents
12 StrategyIsMoreDifficultthanPolicyorTactics 50
13 BadStrategyKills,butSoAlsoDoBadPolicyandTactics 54
14 IfThucydides,Sun-tzu,andClausewitzDidNotSayIt,ItProbably
IsNotWorthSaying 58
15 TheStrategic“ConceptduJour”WillBeTomorrow’sStale
Left-Over,UntilItIsRediscovered,Recycled,andRevealedasa
NewTruth 62
16 TheEnemyTooHasaVote 66
17 TimeIstheLeastForgivingDimensionofStrategy 70
18 FrictionIsUnavoidable,butNeedNotBeFatal 74
19 AllStrategyIsGeostrategy:GeographyIsFundamental 78
20 StrategyIsNotWhollyMilitary 82
21 TheImpossibleIsImpossible;ItIsaCondition,NotaProblemfor
WhichaSolutionHasYettoBeFound 86
PartIII: MilitaryPowerandWarfare
22 PeopleMatterMost 93
23 MilitaryPowerIsTrumpsinPolitics 97
24 MilitaryExcellenceCanOnlyBeVerifiedbyPerformanceinWar 101
25 MilitaryExcellenceCannotGuaranteeStrategicSuccess 105
26 VictoryinBattleDoesNotEnsureStrategicorPoliticalSuccess,
butDefeatAllbutGuaranteesFailure 109
27 ThereIsMoretoWarthanFirepower:TheEnemyIsNotJusta
TargetSet 112
28 LogisticsIstheArbiterofStrategicOpportunity 115
PartIV: SecurityandInsecurity
29 BadTimesReturn 121
30 ThereAreAlwaysThugs,Villains,Rogues,andFoolsOutThere,
asWellSomeinHere,WhoMeanUsHarm 124
31 SuperthreatsDoAppear 127
32 PrudenceIstheSupremeVirtueinStatecraftandStrategy 131
33 StrategicHistoryPunishesGoodIntentions 134