33 Strategies Of War

Question 1

Strategies of war

Law 1

Answer 1

DECLARE WAR ON YOUR ENEMIES: THE
POLARITY STRATEGY

Life is endless battle and conflict, and you cannot fight effectively unless you can identify your enemies. Learn to smoke out your enemies, to spot them by the signs and patterns that reveal hostility. Then, once you have them in your sights, inwardly declare war. Your enemies can fill you with purpose and direction.

Question 2

Strategies of war

Law 2

Answer 2

DONOT FIGHT THE LAST WAR: THE
GUERRILLA WAR OF THE MIND STRATEGY

What most often weighs you down and brings you misery is the past. You must consciously wage war against the past and force yourself to react to the present moment. Be ruthless on yourself; do not repeat the same tired methods. Wage guerrilla war on your mind, allowing no static lines of defense–make everything fluid and mobile.

Question 3

Strategies of war

Law 3

Answer 3

AMIDST THE TURMOIL OF EVENTS, DONOT
LOSE YOUR PRESENCE OF MIND: THE
COUNTERBALANCE STRATEGY

In the heat of battle, the mind tends to lose its balance. It is vital to keep your presence of mind, maintaining your mental powers, whatever the circumstances. Make the mind tougher by exposing it to adversity. Learn to detach yourself from the chaos of the battlefield.

Question 4

Strategies of war

Law 4

Answer 4

CREATE ASENSE OF URGENCYAND
DESPERATION: THE DEATH GROUND
STRATEGY

You are your own worst enemy. You waste
precious time dreaming of the future instead of engaging in the present. Cut your ties to the past; enter unknown territory. Place yourself on “death ground,” where your back is against the wall and you have to fight like hell to get out alive.

Question 5

Strategies of war

Law 5

Answer 5

AVOID THE SNARES OF GROUPTHINK: THE
COMMAND AND CONTROL STRATEGY

The problem in leading any group is that people inevitably have their own agendas. You have to create a chain of command in which they do not feel constrained by your influence yet follow your lead. Create a sense of participation, but do not fall into groupthink–the irrationality of collective decision making.

Question 6

Strategies of war

Law 6

Answer 6

SEGMENT YOUR FORCES: THE CONTROLLED CHAOS STRATEGY

The critical elements in war are speed and
adaptability–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.

Question 7

Strategies of war

Law 7

Answer 7

TRANSFORM YOUR WAR INTOACRUSADE:
MORALE STRATEGIES

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 see their survival as tied to the success of the army as a whole.

Question 8

Strategies of war

Law 8

Answer 8

PICK YOUR BATTLES CAREFULLY: THE
PERFECT ECONOMY STRATEGY

We all have limitations–our energies and skills will take us only so far. You must know your limits and pick your battles carefully. Consider the hidden costs of a war: time lost, political goodwill squandered, an embittered enemy bent on revenge. Sometimes it is better to wait, to undermine your enemies covertly rather than hitting them straight on.

Question 9

Strategies of war

Law 9

Answer 9

TURN THE TABLES: THE COUNTERATTACK
STRATEGY

Moving first–initiating the attack–will often put you at a disadvantage: You are exposing your strategy and limiting your options. Instead, discover the power of holding back and letting the other side move first, giving you the flexibility to counterattack from any angle. If your opponents are aggressive, bait them into a rash attack that will leave them in a weak position.

Question 10

Strategies of war

Law 10

Answer 10

CREATE A THREATENING PRESENCE:
DETERRENCE STRATEGIES

The best way to fight off aggressors is to keep them from attacking you in the first place. Build up a reputation: You’re a little crazy. Fighting you is not worth it. Uncertainty is sometimes better than overt threat: If your opponents are never sure what messing with you will cost, they will not want to find out.

Question 11

Strategies of war

Law 11

Answer 11

TRADE SPACE FOR TIME: THE
NON-ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Retreat in the face of a strong enemy is a sign not of weakness but of strength. By resisting the temptation to respond to an aggressor, you buy yourself valuable time–time to recover, to think, to gain perspective. Sometimes you can accomplish most by doing nothing.

Question 12

Strategies of war

Law 12

Answer 12

LOSE BATTLES BUT WIN THE WAR: GRAND
STRATEGY

Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the battle and calculating ahead. It requires that you focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it. Let others get caught up in the twists and turns of the battle, relishing their little victories. Grand strategy will bring you the ultimate reward: the last laugh.

Question 13

Strategies of war

Law 13

Answer 13

KNOW YOUR ENEMY: THE INTELLIGENCE
STRATEGY

The target of your strategies should be less the army you face than the mind of the man or woman who runs it. If you understand how that mind works, you have the key to deceiving and controlling it. Train yourself to read people, picking up the signals they unconsciously send about their innermost thoughts and intentions.

Question 14

Strategies of war

Law 14

Answer 14

OVERWHELM RESISTANCE WITH SPEED AND
SUDDENNESS: THE BLITZKRIEG STRATEGY

In a world in which many people are indecisive and overly cautious, the use of speed will bring you untold power. Striking first, before your opponents have time to think or prepare, will make them emotional, unbalanced, and prone to error.

Question 15

Strategies of war

Law 15

Answer 15

CONTROL THE DYNAMIC: FORCING
STRATEGIES

People are constantly struggling to control you. The only way to get the upper hand is to make your play for control more intelligent and insidious. Instead of trying to dominate the other side’s every move, work to define the nature of the relationship itself. Maneuver to control your opponents’ minds, pushing their emotional buttons and compelling them to make mistakes.

Question 16

Strategies of war

Law 16

Answer 16

HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS: THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY STRATEGY

Everyone has a source of power on which he or she depends. When you look at your rivals, search below the surface for that source, the center of gravity that holds the entire structure together. Hitting them there will inflict disproportionate pain. Find what the other side most cherishes and protects–that is where you must strike.

Question 17

Strategies of war

Law 17

Answer 17

DEFEAT THEM IN DETAIL: THE DIVIDE AND CONQUER STRATEGY

Never be intimidated by your enemy’s
appearance. Instead, look at the parts that make up the whole. By separating the parts, sowing dissension and division, you can bring down even the most formidable foe. When you are facing troubles or enemies, turn a large problem into small, eminently defeatable parts.

Question 18

Strategies of war

Law 18

Answer 18

EXPOSE AND ATTACK YOUR OPPONENT’S
SOFT FLANK: THE TURNING STRATEGY

When you attack people directly, you stiffen their resistance and make your task that much harder. There is a better way: Distract your opponents’ attention to the front, then attack them from the side, where they least expect it. Bait people into going out on a limb, exposing their weakness, then rake them with fire from the side.

Question 19

Strategies of war

Law 19

Answer 19

ENVELOP THE ENEMY: THE ANNIHILATION
STRATEGY

People will use any kind of gap in your defences to attack you. So offer no gaps. The secret is to envelop your opponents–create relentless pressure on them from all sides and close off their access to the outside world. As you sense their weakening resolve, crush their willpower by tightening the noose.

Question 20

Strategies of war

Law 20

Answer 20

MANEUVER THEM INTO WEAKNESS: THE
RIPENING FOR THE SICKLE STRATEGY

No matter how strong you are, fighting endless battles with people is exhausting, costly, and unimaginative. Wise strategists prefer the art of maneuver: Before the battle even begins, they find ways to put their opponents in positions of such weakness that victory is easy and quick. Create dilemmas: Devise maneuvers that give them a choice of ways to respond-all of them bad

Question 21

Strategies of war

Law 21

Answer 21

NEGOTIATE WHILE ADVANCING: THE
DIPLOMATIC WAR STRATEGY

Before and during negotiations, 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.

Question 22

Strategies of war

Law 22

Answer 22

KNOW HOW TO END THINGS: THE EXIT
STRATEGY

You are judged in this world by how well you
bring things to an end. A messy or incomplete conclusion can reverberate for years to come. 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.

Question 23

Strategies of war

Law 23

Answer 23

WEAVE ASEAMLESS BLEND OF FACT AND
FICTION: MISPERCEPTION STRATEGIES

Since no creature can survive without the ability to see or sense what is going on around it, make it hard for your enemies to know what is going on around them, including what you are doing. Feed their expectations, manufacture a reality to match their desires, and they will fool themselves. Control people’s perceptions of reality and you control them.

Question 24

Strategies of war

Law 24

Answer 24

TAKE THE LINE OF LEAST EXPECTATION: THE
ORDINARY EXTRA ORDINARY STRATEGY

People expect your behavior to conform to
known patterns and conventions. Your task as a strategist is to upset their expectations. First do something ordinary and conventional to fix their image of you, then hit them with the extraordinary. The terror is greater for being so sudden. Sometimes the ordinary is extraordinary because it is unexpected.

Question 25

Strategies of war

Law 25

Answer 25

OCCUPY THE MORAL HIGH GROUND: THE
RIGHTEOUS STRATEGY

In a political world, the cause you are fighting for must seem more just than the enemy’s. By questioning your opponents’ motives and making them appear evil, you can narrow their base of support and room to maneuver. When you yourself come under moral attack from a clever enemy, do not whine or get angry; fight fire with fire.

Question 26

Strategies of war

Law 26

Answer 26

DENY THEM TARGETS: THE STRATEGY OF
THE VOID

The feeling of emptiness or void–silence,
isolation, nonengagement 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.

Question 27

Strategies of war

Law 27

Answer 27

SEEM TO WORK FOR THE INTERESTS OF
OTHERS WHILE FURTHERING YOUR OWN:
THE ALLIANCE STRATEGY

The best way to advance your cause with the 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, fight your wars. At the same time, you must work to sow dissension in the alliances of others, weakening your enemies by isolating them.

Question 28

Strategies of war

Law 28

Answer 28

GIVE YOUR RIVALS ENOUGH ROPE TO HANG
THEMSELVES: THE ONE-UPMANSHIP
STRATEGY

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 sabotage us. 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.

Question 29

Strategies of war

Law 29

Answer 29

TAKE SMALL BITES: THE FAIT ACCOMPLI
STRATEGY

Overt power grabs and sharp rises to the top are dangerous, creating envy, distrust, and
suspicion. Often the best solution is to take small bites, swallow little territories, playing upon people’s relatively short attention spans. Before people realize it, you have accumulated an empire.

Question 30

Strategies of war

Law 30

Answer 30

PENETRATE THEIR MINDS: COMMUNICATION
STRATEGIES

Communication is a kind of war, its field of battle the resistant and defensive minds of the people you want to influence. The goal is to penetrate their defenses and occupy their minds. Learn to infiltrate your ideas behind enemy lines, sending messages through little details, luring people into coming to the conclusions you desire and into thinking they’ve gotten there by themselves.

Question 31

Strategies of war

Law 31

Answer 31

DESTROY FROM WITHIN: THE INNER FRONT
STRATEGY

By infiltrating your opponents’ ranks, working from within to bring them down, you give them nothing to see or react against–the ultimate advantage. To take something you want, do not fight those who have it, but rather join them, then either slowly make it your own or wait for the moment to stage a coup d’etat

Question 32

Strategies of war

Law 32

Answer 32

DOMINATE WHILE SEEMING TO SUBMIT: THE
PASSIVE AGGRESSION STRATEGY

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. Just make sure you have disguised your aggression enough that you can deny it exists.

Question 33

Strategies of war

Law 33

Answer 33

SOW UNCERTAINTY AND PANIC THROUGH
ACTS OF TERROR: THE CHAIN REACTION
STRATEGY

Terror is the ultimate way to paralyze a 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. To plot the most effective counterstrategy, victims of terror must stay balanced. One’s rationality is the last line of defence.