27 January 2011

Quote of the Day

From jstults in the comments:
In strategy the longest way round is often the shortest way there; a direct approach to the object exhausts the attacker and hardens the resistance by compression, whereas an indirect approach loosens the defender's hold by upsetting his balance.

Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart

4 comments:

John Kelly said...

Exactly. The days of charging headlong at the enemy are long gone, except, rather bizarrely, in war movies.

When confronted by superior opposition you attack from the flanks or the rear.

Ask politicians, they've been doing it for years.

jstults said...

Of course, Guderian said: Man schlägt jemanden mit der Faust und nicht mit gespreizten Fingern. (You hit somebody with your fist and not with your fingers spread.), which seems a little more direct. I think in this case Hart's advice makes sense at the strategic level, and Guderian's at the operational or tactical. McKibben's analysis of Morano's tactics show the effectiveness of "hitting with the fist."

These very public discussions on climate / energy policy provide a useful "target of opportunity" for learning; thanks for hosting them.

jstults said...

Sorry, I guess that's Ryan Olson's analysis.

Roger Pielke, Jr. said...

-3-jstults

Third time is the charm ;-)

Randy Olson

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