On War ~ Part 1

'MUGABE WILL WAGE WAR IF MDC WINS...'

I saw the above headline and read the following line ...."would you recognise a coup when you saw one? Yakatorohwa kupu kudhara!" (the Coup has already happened!) ... These two compelled me to write a series of opinion pieces on the issue of war in relation to the ongoing and as yet forthcoming conflict in Zimbabwe. Passive resistance, motivated by the hope of 'change' has failed... The method arose through faith in the idea that turning the other cheek...contorting self into accepting savage brutality... being what one is not, in order to be given what one could be...could soften the heart and open the mind of cunning, insecure, barbaric oppression.

Resistance to tyranny relies on a deep sense of self worth, self-knowledge that can suffer all attempts at negation, that can imaginatively obtain victory from bitter set-back and sacrifice; as sacrificing the self for another self is the only means to that greater end that we call freedom. Until thinking, feeling and speaking focusses and remoulds Zimbabweans beyond their differences, beyond our indifference, with insight and awareness that extends beyond fear and selfish self preservation, Zimbabweans will not have the strength or imagination to resist the naked Emperor. I sat and wrote this as Part 1.

· What is war?

A conflict of state interests solved through the use of force of arms.

· What should be the ultimate aim of war?

Peace.

· What should be the highest form of warfare?

To defeat your enemy spiritually and psychologically before any physical encounter takes place.

Sun-Tzu’s idea, expressed in The Art of War: “The highest form of warfare is to attack strategy itself”. Don’t focus on something as nebulous as breaking “the enemy’s will to win”. Break tangible things, like the enemy’s objectives, plans, and ideas. Break his strategy.

· What should be the purpose of war?

The purpose of war is to use violence in order to achieve political (sic. economic) ends.

· What should be learnt before war?

That the march to war can often be prevented by consideration of what might be lost; but that the march to war will not be stopped because so many believe they have so much to gain from waging war.

· What should be learnt during war?

That there will always be more to learn; and that what we thought was certain, is at times not certain at all.

In each of these cases, the reason the previous generation fails against the newest generation is simply that the previous generational strategies cannot account for the new dimensions of the conflict, or were not formed to address the new dimensions. Rather, the previous generational strategies were formed to address the dimensions of the generation before, with no leap-frogging to x+2: When the goal is to win and the present exigencies are pressing, the need is only to be ‘one-upped’, and resources will be targeted accordingly.

· What should be learnt after war?

That better ways of solving state problems exist, that societies and governments talk about peace but justify unresolved aggressive tendencies and have short memories; that history is bound to repeat itself. That all past efforts, lessons and sacrifices will be forgotten and preparations should be made, because the next war is just around the corner.