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Reasons for War and its Counter Strategy

Disciplines > Warfare > Wu Zi's Art of War > Reasons for War and its Counter Strategy

Chapter | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also

Chapter

First part : 1 : 4

Observed lessons

• There are five reasons why wars are started and which affect the nature of each war:
  1. To contend for fame: leading to righteous warfare
  2. To contend for benefits and advantages: leading to bullying warfare
  3. To seek revenge: leading to angry warfare
  4. Internal strife: leading to plundering in war
  5. Famine: leading to contrarian warfare
• Counter these wars with the following methods:
  1. Righteous warfare: use propriety
  2. Bullying warfare: use deference
  3. Angry warfare: use verbal persuasion
  4. Plundering warfare: use your wits
  5. Contrarian warfare: impose your authority

Discussion

War happens for a reason, though the reason is not always the same. By understanding this, you can determine how it will be fought and what the best strategy for your forces should be.

• Seeking fame and glory may be driven by an egotistical rules, though it may also be used to distract populations from closer concerns.
• Benefits and advantages are often driven by a sense of superiority, which leads to bullying. Pandering to a stronger bully requires humility which may keep them from the worst of their excesses until you have the strength to drive them away.
• Revenge warfare can be a repeating pattern in feuds. Diplomacy can be used to seek to break such cycles.
• Plundering forces can act like animals and may be beyond reason, and like animals they may be defeated by intelligence and craftiness.
• When people are hungry and seek to take your food, their focus is on that food more than strength, so a strong and authoritarian response may sufficient to control them.

See also

Running the State and Victory

http://www.chinese-wiki.com/Wu_Zi_Art_of_War