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Victor Davis Hanson: When Has War Even Been ‘Proportional?’
American Greatness ^ | 16 Nov, 2023 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 11/16/2023 6:11:00 AM PST by MtnClimber

Israel's conventional disproportionality is proving more effective than the terrorist disproportionality of Hamas.

Proportionality in war is a synonym for lethal stalemate, if not defeat.

When two sides go at it with roughly equal forces, weapons, and strategies, the result is often a horrific deadlock—like the four years of toxic trench warfare on the Western Front of World War I that resulted in 12 million fatalities.

The purpose of war is to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible with the least number of causalities—and thereby achieve political ends.

So, every side aims to find superior strategies, tactics, weapons, and manpower to ensure as great a disproportionate advantage as possible.

Hamas is no exception.

Its savage precivilizational strategy to defeat Israel hinged on doing disproportionate things Israel either cannot or will not do.

First, Hamas spent a year planning a preemptive butchery spree inside Israel. Its ruthless murdering focused on “soft targets” like unarmed elderly, women, children, and infants, mostly asleep at a time of peace and holiday.

Second, it sought to collectively shock Israel into paralysis by the sheer horror of decapitating civilians, burning babies, mass raping, and mutilating bodies.

Another apparent aim of such premodern barbarity was to blame Israel’s “occupation” for turning Gazans into veritable monsters, with hopes of derailing the renewed Abraham Accords.

Third, the gunmen took more than 240 hostages back with them to Gaza.

Again, that was a disproportionate tactic designed to meter out the release of captives in exchange for “pauses” and “cease-fires” to save Hamas.

Additionally, Hamas made implicit threats of gruesome executions of captives unless Israel ceased their retaliation for October 7.

Fourth, all the while Hamas shot rockets into Israel, more than 7,000 in total, and all aimed at civilians.

(Excerpt) Read more at amgreatness.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Hamas; Israel
KEYWORDS: alinsky; israel; vdh; victordavishanson; waronterror
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To: piytar

sun tzu “.show the enemy harm so they shall not advance..”


41 posted on 11/16/2023 11:09:33 AM PST by strange1 ("Show the enemy harm so he shall not advance" Sun Tzu The Art of War)
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To: MtnClimber

There’s a military saying that says if you find yourself in a fair fight, your plan is flawed. If Israel was losing, who would be pressing for a cease fire, and what are the chances they would get it? Every war Israel fights is for its very survival. If they lose they will be totally annihilated: ask any of their enemies.


42 posted on 11/16/2023 12:10:14 PM PST by Spok (It takes a lot of learning to understand how little we know. (Paraphrasing Thomas Sowell.))
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To: MtnClimber

Ever since 0bama “leveled the playing field.” It’s a game to him and his masters.


43 posted on 11/17/2023 7:13:55 AM PST by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: texas booster

Sign me up for your ping list. Thanks.


44 posted on 11/17/2023 9:23:29 PM PST by Mama Shawna
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To: MtnClimber

When Has War Even Been ‘Proportional?’

Everytime in the last 70 years where the US went into a war - and lost.


45 posted on 12/25/2023 5:27:49 PM PST by jdege
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