Trump And The Art Of War

"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. "

For those familiar with Sun Tzu"s "The Art of War," those words are very familiar. They comprise part of the "bible" of warfare that have withstood thousands of years as solid advice to leaders. The treatise is 13 chapters long and offers solid counsel to anyone involved in head-to-head combat, and that includes the negotiating table. I have personally applied these rules in negotiations with great success.

Keeping those words in mind, and remembering that they are just the opening of a much longer treatise, calmly and dispassionately examine the past year of Donald Trump's presidency. If you do not invest your emotions into this, you will see that he is clearly employing this strategy.

Being undeniably a successful businessman, it is a very safe bet that he has read and absorbed Sun Tzu, and most likely Machiavelli as well. A close examination of his methods and persona lead me to conclude that he is following at least these two playbooks to the letter.

Anyone who has studied martial arts, particularly those of Asia, know that Sun Tzu is required reading. The tenets of his book work on any scale, whether one-on-one, or nation-against-nation. A combatant who has the moral authority will feign weakness and draw his opponent out of their safe zone. At that point, it is a simple matter to cut them off from retreat and utterly defeat them.

If you have been studying Trump's techniques, he has done exactly this. In his ongoing battle with the media, he sets a hook, the media bite, and he reels them in. It's almost embarrassing how simple it is to defeat the media at every turn.

Trump makes what appears to be a gaff of some kind. For example, let's take the "shit hole" controversy. Trump knows, as I do, that they way those blow-dried puffballs talk off-camera is every bit as bad - if not worse - than what Trump is reported to have said. The media, in their rush to try to strike the fatal blow, have extended far past their safe zones, and if you are watching closely, the killing blow is already coming - but from Trump's side, not the media's. Keep in mind when you read the following link that it is coming from Russia, the supposed enemy of Trump [https://www.rt.com/usa/415834-trump-critics-hypocricy-russia-remarks/].

Trump's enemies are playing into a classic trap. Trump knows that victory in war comes through deception. He has not achieved the things he has across four decades without having a keen sense of warfare. He has survived bankruptcies and scandalous divorces, yet everything he touches turns to gold. He is obviously a master at turning lemons into lemonaide.

The Killdeer bird will flop around on the ground and pretend to have a broken wing to draw predators away from their nests. If this doesn't describe Trump to a "T" then nothing can. Trump uses his weaknesses as lures to distract the attention of his opponents in order to slam the trap shut on them as soon as they venture out of their holes. When one looks at Trump's candidacy and presidency dispassionately, one perceives a long list of victories that used his weaknesses (shooting off his mouth for one) as lures to distract from his real intentions.

One doesn't have to like Trump to respect his masterful skill and technique in - pardon the pun - trumping his enemies. Tom Cruise is a complete jerk, but that doesn't stop us from being entertained by his films. One does, however, have to respect the fact that Trump is a formidable opponent. One places one's self in mortal jeopardy by underestimating Trump's abilities.

Trump studied the political environment in the United States. As a television star, he learned the inner workings of the mass media. As a real estate magnate, he mastered the art of negotiation. As a marketeer, he understood the art of turning weaknesses into benefits. He is no fool. More to the point, all the talk of "fire and fury" and "mental incompetence" only plays into his strategy. He wants his opponents to think he is feeble and weak, so when the trap slams shut, they will be a stunned as they are defeated.

The Left in the US have invested everything in emotional appeal, and that is the easiest thing to exploit. Howling at the sky and mindless chanting reveals just how devoid that movement is of mental acuity and reason. It makes them incredibly easy to defeat, and Trump is utilizing this to his continued benefit.

If you hate Trump, then the only way to fight is to study his tactics and fight accordingly. If you love Trump, then you must study and adopt the same strategies. Either way, mindless fighting or following only plays into his hands. He is a cold, calculating strategist, and a brilliant one at that.

Study Sun Tzu and you will find the key to opposing or supporting him. Putin has done this, and that makes him a viable opponent or supporter of Trump. I suspect that Putin has studied Trump's strategies and is playing into them, whether by collusion or not. Xi has done the same thing, which makes sense since Xi has undoubtedly studied Sun Tzu.

There is a grand game of deception afoot in the international arena, and I suspect that Trump is sending signals without actually communicating verbally, since surveillance is a very real and dangerous threat. Trump is behaving in certain ways that tell Putin and Xi that he understands the game and knows how to play it at master's level. Whether Putin and Xi are acting in concert or opposition is a matter of interpretation, but to my mind, they know what is going on and can read the tea leaves, as it were.

The thinking man or woman will immediately flip over and refresh themselves on Sun Tzu and Machiavelli. Love or hate Trump, or any other political figure, it is wise to analyze their strategies and techniques. You cannot oppose or support someone without being completely in synch with their movements. Even if you are complete agnostic on these matters, understanding how the game is being played makes it much more entertaining.

One key assumption is missing in much of the US Left thinking - if one can call it that. They assume, or at least have convinced themselves, that Trump is an idiot. NEVER underestimate your opponent. If you assume he is stronger than you and you are wrong, you win. If you assume he is weaker than you, you lose. Simple fact that has withstood the test of time.

Machiavelli Versus Sun Tzu

In the 50-year history of the Star Trek franchise, one of the most memorable and poignant lines, packed with metaphor and subtext, was Spock's observation that 'only Nixon could go to China' (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country if you're keeping track).

Indeed, 41 years ago, when Nixon went to China to 'open' the nation to global economic participation, he likely had no idea the can of worms into which he was prying.  To the Western mind, it was a vast supply of cheap labor and a billion potential consumers.

China has always been inscrutable and mysterious to Westerners, not unlike a tiger.  The West was ill-prepared for wrestling tigers, especially the US, which was a mere babe in arms when it came to global hegemony.  The Chinese had conquered the world many times before Nixon boarded Air Force One.  His nation had only shown up yesterday in Chinese history books.

In the 40 short years since Nixon's visit, China has gone from a closed, intensely self-absorbed nation to an economic dynamo sitting squarely atop the globe and directly threatening the century-long plans of the 'exceptional' Americans for world domination.

America's weakness has always been its hubris.  From the days of religious refugees spilling out of Europe to seek peace in North America, there has been an underlying current of 'exceptionalism' in American culture.  When America looked in the mirror, it saw a Shining City Upon The Hill, a civilizing force among nations, a power to reshape the world in its own image.  Balancing precariously on this fragile pedestal, the US has applied its resources and ingenuity to casting a New World Order, with itself as Greek god enthroned on Olympus.  More literally, a new Rome stretching forth its hand to own all it touches.

However, as anyone who has played King of the Hill knows, having the high ground is not enough when you occupy the most desirable position.  Being a leader is a fun place to be, with the perks of power and dominance, but there is always someone waiting in the wings to topple you from your throne, and China has three millennia of experience at doing just that.

China, for better or worse, has sat ensconced on the Eastern hemisphere for centuries.  It has been the center of power, learning and economics on this half of the globe since long before the US ever thought to lead the world.  In fact, it is highly likely that Admiral Zheng He was traipsing around present-day California before Christopher Columbus was even born.

Suffice it to say that China has watched empires rise and fall.  Its own ambitions have touched every continent.  Genghis Khan's Mongol empire, seated in Beijing, knocked at the door of Europe and so scared folks that even today, the expression 'Mongol hordes' still infects the English language.

When it comes to business, the Americans have found themselves outmatched.  Unless you have sat across from Chinese at the negotiating table, you will not understand and fully appreciate the word "ruthless".  When it comes to business, the Chinese will slit your throat while bowing politely and offering soft words of praise on your business acumen.  They are able to scale this technique from one-on-one to nation-on-nation.  Where the US bombs its way into hearts and minds, the Chinese buy and trade, and one can infer which method engenders more loyalty.

When Nixon entered China, he saw himself as liberator.  He was going to undermine the Communist system by showing the Chinese the glory of democracy and capitalism.  Forty years later, the US dangles from a rope and China is tying the other end to the tree.  Welcome to Chinese business dealings.  One can be reasonably sure that when Nixon sat down with Deng Xiaoping, he likely wasn't thinking that the culture behind Deng had invented gunpowder, paper money, state lotteries, and even spaghetti and meatballs - all the tools of US hegemony were, in fact, made in China.  'Opening' China to democracy and capitalism was actually throwing Br'er Rabbit into the briar patch.

One of the US's main strengths, being the new kid on the global block, is also its primary Achilles Heel.  Being new to the list of empires gave the US a certain amount of deference and laissez faire on the part of the world, since it had no operating history, no track record, and folks were willing to offer the benefit of the doubt.  However, this advantage was turned to the dark side and was taken over by greed and lust for power.  Blinded by pride, Nixon marched into China to unwittingly unleash the tiger that would turn to maul the supposed trainer.

Empires are like Super Bowl champions, every year there's a new one, and history is no different.  America got its ring, the trip to Disneyland and enjoyed some endorsement contracts, but this season has seen many injuries and the loss of some key players, so another team has risen to dominate the game.

The US team is a new franchise and has only held championship status once in its history.  The new champion China has been around for a while and has won many Super Bowls before.  Within the culture of the franchise, they recognize that you only sit at the top for a short time before being toppled by the next champion.  While you're at the top, you make a little money, store up some wealth, get a few things done, and then wait for the inevitable losing season.

The US has squandered its position because it has no history.  It forgot its Reformation roots of humility and work, and instead of storing wealth for the eventual fall, it went all-in, like a cocky poker player in a Vegas tournament.  When the deal went south, it could do little else but watch as the pile of chips moved to the wrong side of the table.

The mentalities and strategies of the two sides are vastly different.  The US makes blind bounding leaps throwing caution to the wind and over-extending itself in the quest for glory.  The Chinese advance in increments.  They extend a little, secure and shore up, then extend a little more.  The Americans are brash nouveau riche - spoiled and profligate - while the Chinese are ancient dynasties of wealth and privilege.  The former throws money and caution to the wind, while the latter quietly amasses wealth and fortifies position and influence, yielding when the occasion requires it.

The two sides are like yin and yang.  They are the perfect compliment to each other.  They can not defeat each other, nor can they dominate each other.  They will always return to equilibrium because they can not exist without each other.  In the Chinese view, they are happy to have the flamboyant Americans to hide behind, like a courtier to Louis XIV.  Let the gaudy sun king take all the glory...and the blame.  Meantime, sit quietly behind the throne directing the action and save every scrap that falls from the royal table.  It is the tortoise and the hare writ large.

Indeed, the Chinese and Western banksters are equals, and on the stage of history, it is not the rise and fall of the American empire that is the real drama of our times.  Kings come and go.  Rather, it is the clash of these two hidden powers - the Eastern and Western dynasties - that will be the true action of the play.  Even now, the Eastern bloc is establishing its own system of alliances and finance to compete head-to-head with the mere apprentices in the West.  To add insult to injury, the Eastern dynasties are using the tools of the West against them, like Xiao Lin adepts turning force against itself.  The hapless West keeps throwing empty punches and spends a lot of time on its back staring up at the sky, not quite sure how it got in that position.

For those with eyes to see, it is an epic death match between two fundamentally equal sides - in one corner sits Niccolo Bernardo Machiavelli and in the other Sun Tzu.  Those of us with front row seats will get spattered with blood and body parts, like an audience at a macabre Gallagher concert.  The rock has met the hard spot, the tiger and the bull, and we the world are caught between.  It is not the first time, and won't be the last, but it is the latest event of the season.

It's Rotschildt versus Li in the classic rivalry that has entertained the world for centuries.  Both sides are master manipulators, and both know that empire is just a show to distract from their real plays.  They are adept at avoiding the spotlight.  One side uses the blunt weapons of Machiavelli: the ax, the hammer and the sword.  The other uses the refined weapons of Sun Tzu: deception, stealth and redirection.

Nothing much to do now, but buy some snacks and settle in for a real show.  In the game of empire, these are Princes skilled in the Art of War.

Pilot To Bombadier

Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.
     - Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli

For those who don't read, a group that excludes the highly intelligent visitors to this site, Machiavelli created the philosophy of power, often malnamed 'political science.'  Though most of his writings, The Prince being most notable, were guidebooks for wise leadership.  It is his quote regarding the disarming of the populace that inspired the founders of the United States to include a ban on banning arms in the hands of the people.

One can think of Machiavelli as the Sun Tzu of the West.  Sun Tzu wrote a highly influential book called The Art of War nearly a millennium before Machiavelli was born.  Machiavelli likely got a copy of it from Marco Polo or other traders in the East.  Sun Tzu instructed warriors thusly:

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Between the two quotes, we can see the design and execution of things such as the Boston Marathon bombing, 9/11, 7/7, and hundreds of other similar events throughout history.  To understand the gravity of the quotes, one must put one's self in the place of ruthless, power-mad 'leaders' and realize that We the People are the enemy.  We are the deceived.  We are the ones conquered without a fight by little more than simple symbolic manipulation.

Few people think of their 'leaders' as mortal combatants against their best interests.  So-called 'democracy' is a brilliant subterfuge that makes us think we have chosen those we call leaders, while at the same time finding all they do in places of power to be reprehensible and subversive to our best interests.

Josef Stalin, that great defender of human rights (tongue firmly in cheek), told us:

Ideas are more powerful than guns.  We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?

This is the self-same Stalin who killed more than 25 million of his countrymen and called it a statistic.  History hardly recalls that fact, yet Hitler, who only killed 4 million, has become synonymous with evil incarnate.

So how do we tie all this together?  Well, people will ignore things that do not serve their immediate needs.  Therefore, 'leaders' are free to act upon the populace in ways that subdue them without a fight.  This is done by controlling the ideas that the masses can and are allowed to have.  And the ideas are controlled via the media.

If you pick up a dictionary from before the 20th century, you will find that the word 'terrorism' was once defined as an act only perpetrated by a State actor.  Terrorism, as a policy, never serves the interests of a group fighting an evil power.

If Muslims are behind recent acts of terror, what purpose does it serve them?  They only alienate the masses who they logically want to enlist to their cause.  It creates animosity towards their message and themselves, and brings down even greater hatred and bellicosity on their heads.  Does that sound even remotely logical and beneficial?  Didn't think so.

On the other hand, a State actor can inflict acts of terror, clamp down on individual rights, tighten security, demonize large parts of the population, and create whole new industries for profit out of a single act.  While not exactly nice, it is a logical step for any group wishing to subdue a large population and consolidate power.

False-flag terrorism is as old as warfare.  It is a staple of morally bankrupt leadership and a highly effective technique for controlling large groups of people.  An act of terror causes people to act in their immediate self-interest, which causes them to rally to leaders, demand security and seek revenge.  This is exactly the reactions that 'leaders' want when consolidating power.  The best part is - from a certain point of view - that as soon as the masses start to figure it out, you can create another act of terror and completely wipe out the memory of the previous one.

Whenever we see an event such as Boston, we must ask ourselves, like good Romans, "Cui bono?" (to whom the good/benefit)  An act of terror does not benefit the masses.  They lose rights and freedom in exchange for vaporous promises.  It does not benefit the supposed perpetrator(s).  They alienate the very people they want on their side and bring down the wrath of greater powers on their heads.

The only possible benefit is to those in power.  It consolidates their power, allows greater intrusiveness into the lives of their 'followers'.  And it justifies even more theft of the labor and wealth of the masses in the form of taxes to support ever larger bureaucracies that peddle the all-elusive 'security.'

In the age of psychology and mass media, this technique has been honed to a fine edge.  A century and a half of study has led to an almost formulaic ability to induce fear and panic in large groups of people.  Madison Ave. and the like have mastered the application of psychological tenets to mass mind control.  Even without having watched a single minute of the media coverage of Boston, I can list the techniques used to control the ideas in the minds of the masses.

First, they float the multiple/single perpetrator balloon.  Whichever the masses glom onto the fastest is the one they run with.  Then, they float the Muslim/homegrown terrorist balloon.  Whichever the public buys first is the one they run with.  They artificially limit the choices we have to think about, then amp up our emotional responses to whatever 'choice' the instant polling and blogosphere sampling tells them is the most 'swallowable' explanation.  The rest is simply offering a bunch of canned responses that are designed to make people feel safer, while offering no real solutions and charging exorbitant amounts of money to implement the plan, whatever it is.

Back to Stalin and Hitler...Stalin killed six times more people than Hitler, yet there was no long-term political expedient outside of consolidating his power.  Thus, we know little or nothing about the atrocities he committed.

If fertilizer plants blowing up have little or no power to shock and awe, they are mourned and paraded, but little if anything will change in the aftermath, even though the safe operation of a fertilizer plant obviously has more benefit to the masses than stopping bombers at public events.  There is no emotional content to exploit with a fertilizer plant, but high-profile public feel-good events offer oodles of exploitable content.

Simple math for our erstwhile 'leaders.'

After all, the Russian people were evil, nasty Commies, so losing 25 million of them was a victory, not something to wail and gnash teeth over.

Cui bono?

The only way to fight this sort of manipulation is to guard our reactions when they happen.  Don't react immediately on fear and panic, but take a moment to consider who benefits.  This immediately takes the power away from the 'leaders' and prevents them from implanting ideas in our heads.

The concomitant action is to avoid all media contact.  Don't turn on the TeeVee.  Just read headlines online or in the paper.  Don't read the articles.  That will give you all the pertinent information you need and prevent the implantation of ideas.  Over the following week, the picture will be much clearer than if you ingest all the emotional rabble-rousing in the media.  Remember, the media is NOT your friend.  They are carefully controlled outlets for the party line.

The number of people doing this is growing.  Witness the talk of 'false flag' in the mainstream media.  Beware though.  When the media pick up on this sort of meme, it is because they have figured out a way to use it against you and control what ideas you have about it.  Note the event and keep moving.

Finally, harden yourself.  Yes, it is tragic when people die, but it happens all the time.  Don't let the 'leaders' use those deaths to control the living.  That is the worst form of cynicism and crassness there is.  Look at what has been done to the children in Sandy Hook.

Instead, note the tragic deaths of the victims and mourn for their families, but guard your feelings and don't let them be weaponized.  Only a psychopath or sociopath can not feel the death of others.  But it is equally sick to use death and tragedy for gain, and we would do well to remember that.  It may seem callous to turn off feelings, but how much more callous is it to use our feelings against us?

There will be time to mourn when the war is won.

Oh yeah, happy birthday Adolf.  Has anyone thought about all the strange things that keep happening on or around Hitler's birthday?