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Cómo perder una guerra (y por qué): La Estrategia para la derrota
Nearly 40 years ago, contemplating a dogfight between Israeli and Syrian jets, Shimon Tzabar got to thinking about how war works. The result is a crystal-clear, at times funny inversion of such classics as Sun-Tzu's The Art of War. Readers find the facts on why often victory is not all it's cracked up to be. Practical advice is offered as well, such as what to do if you're in danger of winning, and how to surrender in the midst of a firefight. This new illustrated edition of the 1974 original includes updated information on the latest international conflicts, and confirms the timelessness of the White Flag Principle.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
181 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 30, 2022
Finally hate-read. Too sarcastic to not get mentally lost when reading something and trying decide if the authors has a brilliant counterintuitive idea or is just playing the reverse psychology method of getting his ideas across. Was it written to make the reader think or was this written merely for the author’s enjoyment? Glad I hate-read this because it’s so easy to abandon books because life is short, yet there is some value in experiencing reading that makes you uncomfortable and disoriented.
July 28, 2008
Throughout history, much has been written about war and how to win it. This book looks at how, and why, a war should be lost.
Military vistory is not necessary for a country to realize its aims. A military defeat may produce a better postwar situation than victory. In judo, it is possible to battle strength with weakness; the same thing is true between countries, as long as the vanquished submits the right way. The victor not only has to financially take care of their own country, they also have to pay the bills of the vanquished. It is possible to intentionally create a foreign policy whose ultimate goal is to be conquered by another. How?
A first step is to alienate your allies. The next step is to make a claim on your neighbor's territory, whether emotional or accidental. The easiest way to ruin your economy is to do nothing; the economy will run aground by itself. Timing is critical; ruining the economy must be done before war starts. Do it too far ahead of battle, and there will be time for an economic recovery to begin.
When it comes to the actual army, many factors, alone or together, can cause military disaster. Bad troops must be recruited (good troops can survive almost anything). Treatment must be as harsh as possible to keep morale low. The troops must be kept hungry, or in a constant state of indigestion. Excessive drills, marches and exercises are needed. A non-working weapon has a greater chance of not harming the army.
On the battlefield, many things must be considered, including how to measure the severity of defeat. When retreat time comes, one way is to swing around a fixed point, so that the front becomes the rear, thereby making it easier to retreat along the line of communication. The act of surrender cannot easily be performed while on the move. It's best if it happens while an army is besieged. The hardest part is actually giving up. Each army should equip itself with regulation white flags and hoist them properly. There is also a proper procedure for raising one's hands in surrender.
This is certainly a very different sort of book (possibly a satire?). It feels very logical, and well thought out. It contains plenty of historical examples to illustrate its points. This is worth checking out, especially for military and historical enthusiasts.
Military vistory is not necessary for a country to realize its aims. A military defeat may produce a better postwar situation than victory. In judo, it is possible to battle strength with weakness; the same thing is true between countries, as long as the vanquished submits the right way. The victor not only has to financially take care of their own country, they also have to pay the bills of the vanquished. It is possible to intentionally create a foreign policy whose ultimate goal is to be conquered by another. How?
A first step is to alienate your allies. The next step is to make a claim on your neighbor's territory, whether emotional or accidental. The easiest way to ruin your economy is to do nothing; the economy will run aground by itself. Timing is critical; ruining the economy must be done before war starts. Do it too far ahead of battle, and there will be time for an economic recovery to begin.
When it comes to the actual army, many factors, alone or together, can cause military disaster. Bad troops must be recruited (good troops can survive almost anything). Treatment must be as harsh as possible to keep morale low. The troops must be kept hungry, or in a constant state of indigestion. Excessive drills, marches and exercises are needed. A non-working weapon has a greater chance of not harming the army.
On the battlefield, many things must be considered, including how to measure the severity of defeat. When retreat time comes, one way is to swing around a fixed point, so that the front becomes the rear, thereby making it easier to retreat along the line of communication. The act of surrender cannot easily be performed while on the move. It's best if it happens while an army is besieged. The hardest part is actually giving up. Each army should equip itself with regulation white flags and hoist them properly. There is also a proper procedure for raising one's hands in surrender.
This is certainly a very different sort of book (possibly a satire?). It feels very logical, and well thought out. It contains plenty of historical examples to illustrate its points. This is worth checking out, especially for military and historical enthusiasts.
April 12, 2020
2nd time I’ve read this book. It’s brief though peculiar, all the basic concepts of the war are explained in a very different way, the way to make it worse than your enemy, it’s weird, funny and interesting at the same time. It is a book for those who likes to study war concepts and philosophies.
December 7, 2016
È un libro comico che spiega come fare a perdere una guerra. Perché di solito chi perde una guerra in fondo in fondo vince ed allora....
September 12, 2010
Why victory is hollow. Compare The Man in the High Castle and The Mouse that Roared.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews