The greatest warrior wins without fighting.

–Sun Tzu

Why do nations go to war? The best way to win a war is to avoid it, because no matter who emerges victo­rious, lives are lost on both sides, property is destroyed, the economy is in a shambles. This is the same principle that Dale Carnegie advised his readers to follow when they felt like arguing — don’t.

There is nothing cowardly about avoiding conflict. Polit­ical battles are part of a large and complex game, a game that can be won if played properly. The trick is to find the right currency to negotiate with other nations so that each of them remains an ally. Demon­stra­tions of military power go a long way in letting others know that your country demands and deserves respect, but to actually go to war is meaningless.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 27th, 2006 at 09:29 and is filed under Daily Rant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.