FYI ....This was submitted to the Pgh Post-Gazette--Tao of War...

[Guest guest]

From: Carpenter, Marilyn A [WPC/PIT] <Marilyn.Carpenter@...>

Hi Phyllis -

I thought you might find this interesting. This was submitted to the

Pittsburgh Post Gazette.(I don't know if it has been in print, but a

practitioner of Tai Chi, that works there, forwarded it to me).

Regards,

Marilyn Carpenter

AMERICA VERSUS THE TERRORISTS ACCORDING TO SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR

By Chin-Ning Chu

[This article is submitted for your consideration for publication.

Permission to reprint is hereby granted.

To interview Chin-Ning Chu, see contact information below.]

Sun Tzu's Art of War was a must-read manual for the U.S. Marines fighting in

Dessert Storm and is also used as standard text by the U.S. Naval Academy.

It was written in China around 460 B.C. and is the most popular warfar

strategy book in the world. Sun Tzu's book may be ancient, but the

strategies contained therein are eternal. It was as relevant two thousand

years ago in the conquering of China as it is today in our fight against

terrorism.

Sun Tzu said: One should adopt the five elements as the foundation of

warfare. By examining the five elements, I can know the outcome of a war:

1. Tao (moral standing, righteousness)

2. Tien ( timing)

3. Di (earth, assets and liabilities)

4. Jian (leadership)

5. Fa (execution and discipline)

....By asking the following questions you will know which side will be the

winner:

Compare the two sides, who possesses the tao?

Compare the two leaders, who is the superior individual?

Which side possesses the advantage of timing and resources?

Which side possesses more discipline and orderly execution of

procedures?

Which side has the more motivated staff and possesses excellent

equipment?

Which side has a clearer standard for reprimand and promotions?

If we examine the above five elements, we can predict the outcome of this

new war between United States and the bin Laden terrorist network.

1. Tao (Moral Standing, Righteousness)

Tao addresses the morality and the righteousness of a battle.

This must be thoroughly understood by those who would effect the outcome...

Between the two sovereigns, who is more in line with the Tao?

-Sun Tzu

There is the true tao of righteousness and there is false sloganeering in an

attempt to cast one's cause as God-inspired. In fact, the terrorists should

change their campaign's name from Jihad or " Holy War " to the Low Quality

Testosterone War to reflect it's true essence. The terrorists proclaim that

they are fighting by the will of Allah.

Leaders of every major war and minor battle have always claimed that theirs

was the side of righteousness, that they represented the will of Heaven or

the Good of the People. Even a satanic tyrant such as Hitler had to persuade

the German people he was leading them on to greatness. Patriotic slogans

can only take you so far, eventually, the tao (universal goodness) will

prevail.

Our American democracy may not be perfect, but we represent the best this

planet has seen to date. As a naturalized American citizen who has worked

and traveled throughout the world and lived in the United States for thirty

years, I love this country, not because she is perfect, but because she is

always striving for perfection. We are a melting pot filled with chunks,

relentlessly trying to express the noblest of objectives in our

humanity-love (or at least tolerance) for all, justice for everyone, and the

right of every person to enjoy a prosperous, happy life.

We, the American citizens, would like to think that our government has

always righteously served the American people and the world in general.

However, we all know that sometimes that has not been totally true. In

recent history, America's foreign policies have often been designed for the

result-craving, power-hungry policymakers in Washington, D.C. Our government

did make the strategic errors of training and/or supporting the likes of

Saddam Hussein, bin Laden and other international terrorist leaders. Our

leaders must take tao into consideration in our selection of expedient

allies in the future.

If the United States does gain the total support of the Islamic nations,

including even the Palestinians (who have recently distanced themselves from

bin Laden), then the ideological ground that bin Laden's terrorism stands on

will crumple, and a speedy victory could be realized.

2. Tien ( timing)

Gushing water generates tremendous momentum,

enough to float giant stones.

The flying eagle is able to destroy its prey

due to its precise coordination of distance and time.

--Sun Tzu

The September 11th attack was the result of detailed and careful planning

designed to achieve a maximum effect. The four airplanes were timed closely

to create maximum shock and disbelief in the hearts of the American people.

Choosing the morning to attack insured maximum casualties; a later timetable

would find many disbursed for meetings outside of their offices.

From the terrorists' point of view, the war did not start on September

11th; they had declared war long ago. This date was chosen because, by then,

they had mastered the synchronization of their timing and were thus able to

generate their peak momentum. Before the attack on the World Trade Center,

the terrorists were in charge of the timing of the battle. Since then, they

have lost that key advantage.

Before this treacherous act, America was clueless that we were even engaged

in a major war with terrorists. Now, the tables have turned; the U.S. lead

anti-terrorism coalition has now moved into the control of the timing. While

we relentlessly pursue the punishment the offenders, simultaneously we need

to aggressively seek that path which will lead to a lasting peace with all

of the nations of the Middle-East. The timing of the twin goals of war and

peace must be carried out simultaneously.

As we attack their positions in Afghanistan, we should also conduct a global

educational reform by supporting the voices of Islamic spiritual leaders who

preach the true essence and teachings of Islam: love, tolerance and

acceptance of all people. This is the antidote that can counteract the

intolerance, rage, hatred, and deep-seated ignorance practiced by the

extremist militants. These terrorist groups are holding the Islamic religion

hostage by proclaiming they are doing Allah's will while fulfilling their

own selfish, maniacal ambitions.

3. Di (earth, assets and liabilities)

The earth contains far and near,

danger and ease,

open ground and narrow passes...

When one obtains victory, by modifying his tactics,

in relation to his opponent's, he is a divine warrior.

-Sun Tzu

I truly believe bin Laden is a student of Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu's Art of War was

translated into French in 1700s (some believe Napoleon studied that edition)

and, since then, has been made available in every major language in the

world. The strategies within Sun Tzu have their basis in the observation of

nature and common sense. This knowledge reveals itself in the natural

unfolding of the universal rhythms; the philosopher calls it philosophy, the

scientist calls it science, and military leader calls it military strategy.

Unfortunately, the ability to utilize these strategic gems is available to

the righteous as well as the evil.

The terrorists have the ability to operate on a shoestring budget and cause

horrific damage; a little money goes a long way. Even if the U.S. government

manages to freeze their assets held in banks, they still can keep their

operations going on their income from crime and manage to do great damage.

When we engage them with ground troops, we will be fighting on their

terrain. The terrorists will be the hosts and the coalition alliance are the

guests. And the host always has the home court advantage of the terrain.

The terrorists are more skillful, experienced and trained in guerrilla

warfare. They have seen much bloodshed and, consequently, they have been

seasoned and hardened to have the stomach to bear heavy casualties. Their

ranks are filled with ignorant, brainwashed fanatics who have nothing to

look forward to in this life, and believe that death will bring them honor,

riches and salvation. They are taught that every man who dies for the sake

of Holy Jihad will awaken in a beautiful heaven flowing with milk and honey

and be given sixty-seven virgins to play with to their heart's content.

Though they may be in for a rude awakening when they reach the other side,

in the meantime, these fanatics can do tremendous damage while still among

us.

They are also a poorly equipped military force with a distinct limitation of

financial resources. And, for all their fanaticism, they lack the moral high

ground, tao, the essential element for winning a war. Hate-filled and

hate-driven egos hold their own seeds for self-destruction. Such persons'

vision contains blind spots. These blind spots exist at the subconscious

level and, as such, will lead them into making stupid decisions towards

their self-destruction.

The United States has the best trained, highest equipped military force in

the world, and military and intelligence support from most of the nations

worldwide. The lessons we learned during the Vietnam war have improved our

appreciation for the type of guerrilla warfare we will be facing in this new

war. The former Soviet Union's failure in Afghanistan will be a carefully

studied text book for our current U.S. military commanders.

Secretary of State Colin is a seasoned warrior with a cool head. Our

leadership is making tough, but well-thought-out plans in this war. Witness

that we waited almost a month before initiating our response. Also, the

American people have not supported a war so completely since we were

attacked at Pearl Harbor.

In our liabilities column, Americans are perceived by many around the globe

as excessively arrogant. Before September 11th, the American people had

underestimated the will, determination and hatred possessed by terrorist

forces. We had considered them to be a minor annoyance, rather than a major

threat. We thought terrorist activities were reserved for places outside of

the continental United States. We even quickly forgot that they had tried

(and almost succeeded) to destroy the World Trade Center once before.

U.S. soldiers are not as seasoned or trained for Afghan guerilla warfare.

Also, the American people, since World War II, have demonstrated we have a

low tolerance for casualties. This situation occurred during the Vietnam and

Korean wars. In Vietnam, we had far fewer casualties then the North

Vietnamese. General Westmoreland, U.S. Commander of our forces in Vietnam,

has said that it was not so much that we had lost the war; rather, we had

simply quit.

We are presently long on technological intelligence and short in human

intelligence-gathering. As the North Vietnamese commander stated during the

Discovery Channel's Sun Tzu's Art of War documentary, " After we entered the

U.S. Embassy in Saigon, we couldn't believe they had so many listening

devices, but they were useless... It's about human intelligence. "

Traditionally, the American power elite has been ignorant about the need to

improve our employment of human intelligence. Through international

alliances, we may be able to improve our position in human intelligence

collection. Only then, can we improve our position during a ground action,

and avoid the mistakes made during Vietnam.

4. Jiang (leadership)

A leader must be wise, trustworthy, benevolent, courageous, and strict.

--Sun Tzu

Bin Laden embodies pure evil and is a common criminal, but to his people he

is a great military leader and a holyman. Even after his death, there will

be hundreds of thousands more who will worship him as a great saint and a

hero.

As Napoleon said, " Leadership is everything. " In order to shorten the war

and expedite the peace, the world needs to support a righteous, strong

Islamic leader. The biggest barrier to peace today in the Middle East is the

lack of a strong Muslim leader with the qualities of a Mahatma Gandhi--one

with wisdom, courage, benevolence, strictness and trustworthiness that could

unite Islamic nations worldwide with a positive spiritual approach to a

peaceful resolution. This would be the perfect antidote for Bin Laden's

ego-driven terrorist campaign. Perhaps through the process of this war, such

an Islamic leader will emerge to fill the void.

During this crisis, President Bush has demonstrated his newly emergent

leadership abilities in restraint, compassion, strength and strategic

planning. I was glad to see he has moved away from the propaganda slogans of

" Good versus Evil " and " Wanted Dead or Alive " that he used in the beginning

as quick approval point-getters. To win this war and peace, Bush needs to

continuously demonstrate he possesses the qualities Sun Tzu defined.

President Bush has expressed the will to relentlessly track down terrorist

groups who have no desire to co-exist peacefully with the rest of the world.

He has stated that we won't stop until the terrorists are wiped off the face

of the earth. On the other hand, he should seek remedies for the

centuries-old problems between Israel and the Muslim nations as well as

those points of contention that exist among the Muslim nations. An

unexpected benefit may be that Israel and Palestine are both backing the U.

S.

President Bush would do well to utilize the American Muslim community

leaders in helping to build bridges of good will between the American people

and the Muslim world. We need to re-market a positive American image in the

Muslim world.

5. Fa (execution and discipline)

Organization and effectiveness in execution signifies your proficiency in

managing people and affairs, thus resulting in a maximizing of all of your

available resources.

-Sun Tzu

The execution of the attack on the World Trade Center was well planned and

delivered by a disciplined force. Bin Laden's terrorist troops use guerrilla

warfare in which no rule is the only rule and anything goes. Sun Tzu said,

" The essence of war is deception. " Especially when you have very limited

resources, deception becomes essential. Bin Laden has, and will, use this

strategy again and again.

Our traditional Western military tactics are generally executed according to

a rule-based warfare. It is normally more transparent and direct. We need to

train our soldiers to expect the unexpected, and improvise solutions when

they find themselves in unexpected situations.

As Sun Tzu said, " Know yourself, know your enemy; One hundred battles, one

hundred victories. " Our soldiers must learn about our enemy and learn to

think like the terrorists and fight like guerilla fighters. The certainty is

that, given our social diversity and freedom of access to information, we

have a much greater chance at understanding them than they do of

comprehending us. And they run the greater risk of underestimating our

stomach for bloodshed and our will to fight. Now that they have awakened the

eagle, they may find to their detriment that we will fight ferociously to

guard our liberty.

My Australian publisher asked me, " How does the American system teach

everyone to be so patriotic? " I told her I thought it was because we were

never told to be patriotic, forced to wave the flag or believe in the

infallibility of our leadership, thus, we love this country more.

Before September 11th, most Americans didn't consciously think much about

being a nation. It was there, but hidden dormant in our hearts. Often, we

would act like a collection of varying groups of people with wildly

different agendas who annoy each other. After September 11th, I experience

there has been a swift change of consciousness. People became much more

polite and courteous. For instance, strangers would hold open the door for

one another as they pass by in a restaurant.

By these simple acts of being considerate, we are silently acknowledging

that this indeed is one nation and that we are a people who share the common

ideals of freedom and equality. When that freedom is threatened, our

patriotic spirit instantly leaps to the fore and, as a nation, we are

transformed from freedom-indulging individuals to a patriotic,

well-disciplined fighting unit.

In Conclusion

When we examine the above five elements, to whom the victory belongs is

clear. Even if we examine only the first element, righteousness (tao), it is

enough to ensure our winning of the war. And it is not by accident that Sun

Tzu placed tao as the first element of strategy as it is the most important

element to possess for victory. Though tao is defined as " the way,

rightness, or morality, " it embodies much more than that. Tao is defined

also as the force behind all creation. All things good, bright, creative,

innovative and joyful are rooted in tao. Without tao, no matter how clever

you are, all you have going for you is merely a bag of dirty tricks.

Tao is the foundation of the other four elements--tien, di, jian and fa.

Without tao, one can't even begin to discuss the other four. This truth is

eternal and changeless and cuts across all nationalities, cultures and

races. The same fate as Hitler found awaits bin Laden and his terrorist

organization.

However, winning this war will not as difficult as winning the peace. Unless

we can win the peace, we will not have really won the war. The true spirit

of tao is not to just destroy your enemy, but rather, to complete the

process by ultimately uplifting all nations into a higher awareness of our

common humanity.

( c ) Copyright 2001 Chin-Ning Chu -- Permission granted to reprint or

publish