“It should be the aim of grand strategy to discover and pierce the Achilles' heel of the opposing government's power to make war. Strategy, in turn, should seek to penetrate a joint in the harness of the opposing forces. To apply one's strength where the opponent is strong weakens oneself disproportionately to the effect attained. To strike with strong effect, one must strike at weakness.” ShouldWarGovernmentTurnsStrongForceEffectsMilitaryWeaknessAimStrategyOneselfStrikesOpponentsHeelsJointsPenetrateOpposingPierceHarnessAchillesWar StrategyAchilles Heel Author:B. H. Liddell Hart
“To ensure attaining an objective, one should have alternate objectives. An attack that converges on one point should threaten, and be able to diverge against another. Only by this flexibility of aim can strategy be attuned to the uncertainty of war.” ShouldWarAbleMilitaryShould HaveAimStrategyObjectivesUncertaintyFlexibility Author:B. H. Liddell Hart
“The more usual reason for adopting a strategy of limited aim is that of awaiting a change in the balance of force ... The essential condition of such a strategy is that the drain on him should be disproportionately greater than on oneself.” ShouldReasonForceGreaterConditionsMilitaryBalanceEssentialsAimStrategyOneselfUsualDrainsAdopting Author:B. H. Liddell Hart
“In the case of a state that is seeking not conquest but the maintenance of its security, the aim is fulfilled if the threat is removed - if the enemy is led to abandon his purpose.” IfsStatesPurposeEnemyCasesSecurityMilitaryAimThreatSeekingAbandonFulfilledConquestMaintenance Author:B. H. Liddell Hart
“[The] aim is not so much to seek battle as to seek a strategic situation so advantageous that if it does not of itself produce the decision, its continuation by a battle is sure to achieve this. In other words, dislocation is the aim of strategy.” IfsDoeDecisionSituationAchieveMilitaryProduceBattleAimStrategyStrategicContinuationDislocation Author:B. H. Liddell Hart
“The military forces of the revolutionary adversary are diffuse. One is never sure whether one has destroyed them unless one is ready to destroy a large portion of the population, and this usually conflicts with the political aim of the war and hence also violates a fundamental Clausewitzian principle.” WarPoliticalForcePrinciplesMilitaryReadyConflictAimFundamentalsPopulationDestroyedRevolutionaryPortionsAdversariesMilitary Force Author:Anatol Rapoport
“Germany, which has lately united 80 million Germans, has submitted certain neighboring countries to her supremacy and gained military strength in many aspects, and thus has become, as clearly can be seen, a dangerous rival to principal imperialistic powers in Europe - England and France. That is why they declared war on Germany on a pretext of fulfilling the obligations given to Poland. It is now clearer than ever, how remote the real aims of the cabinets in these countries were from the interests of defending the now disintegrated Poland or Czechoslovakia.” WarRealCountryCertainGivenInterestUnitedMillionsMilitaryDangerousEuropeAspectEnglandAimObligationFranceGermanyPrincipalFulfillingRivalsCabinetsSupremacyPolandPretextCzechoslovakia Author:Vyacheslav Molotov
“The Jesuits are a MILITARY organization, not a religious order. Their chief is a general of an army, not the mere father abbot of a monastery. And the aim of this organization is power - power in its most despotic exercise - absolute power, universal power, power to control the world by the volition of a single man. Jesuitism is the most absolute of despotisms - and at the same time the greatest and most enormous of abuses.” MenWorldOrderFatherReligiousMilitaryExerciseOrganizationUniversalAbuseArmyAbsolutesAimMereEnormousChiefsDespotismAbsolute PowerMonasteriesSingle ManVolitionJesuit Author:Napoleon Bonaparte
“The population becomes the internal enemy. Any sign of life, of protest, or even mere doubt, is a dangerous challenge from the standpoint of military doctrine and national security. So complicated mechanisms of prevention adn punishment have been developed ... To operate effectively, the repression must appear arbitrary. Apart from breathing, any human activity can constitute a crime ... State terrorism aims to paralyze the population with fear.” HumansHas BeensStatesChallengesEnemyDoubtSecurityMilitaryDangerousCrimeActivityAimMerePopulationComplicatedTerrorismPunishmentDoctrineBreathingInternalsProtestMechanismNational SecurityArbitraryRepressionStandpointPreventionHuman ActivitySigns Of Life Author:Eduardo Galeano
“One of the main aims of Sharon is to prevent a Palestinian state - a real, viable, sovereign, free Palestinian state. It has been the major task of his life for the last forty years. What Sharon wants to do is "shorten the lines," in military slang. He wants to give up some positions which are untenable, or which cost too much to keep, and to withdraw to where he wants Israel to be.” WantGivingYearsHas BeensRealStatesLastsLinesToo MuchMilitaryPositionCostGiving UpMajorsTasksAimIsraelFortyPalestinianSovereignSlangSharon Author:Uri Avnery
“The Russian economy is about the size of the Italian economy; it's very small, and Russia's military force is larger than it was, because Putin's been investing in it, but it still doesn't compare to that of the United States, and his reach and aim still don't compare.” EconomyMilitaryAimCompareItalian Author:Anne Applebaum