Short War Illusion

[Kirkhill]

The Short War Illusion: The Real US Achilles Heel

Industrial Production and a War in the Indo-Pacific

phillipspobrien.substack.com

a reflection on what is one of the most common mis-perceptions about war, and why its its repeated again it will put the USA in an extremely difficult position vis a vis China in the Indo-Pacific. Its a combination of what should be called the short-war delusion with the present state of the US defense industrial base. Together they are setting the stage for a strategic disaster.

Noteworthy substack article from O'Brien on Short Wars.

Everybody loves a short war. No war was ever touted as a long grind. In fact I don't think anybody actually declares war unless they think it will all be over by Christmas, or at least the next election.

Personally I don't think O'Brien goes far enough. I am of the endless struggle school.

Just because you beat someone on the battlefield doesn't mean your problems go away. The losers will be sullen and depressed and unco-operative and will do everything in their power to achieve their ends by other means. Meanwhile the winners will make things easy for the losers because they will be convinced that the struggle is over and give the field to the losers.

We see this in the rise of Communism, the resurrection of European Corporatism, the dominance of Western Establishmentarianism, all of whom hide behind epithets like socialism, democracy and even liberalism.

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Actual Liberalism has suffered greatly from a surfeit of optimism.

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A line from a hymn popular in the great age of Liberalism in the land that gave us that word

"I shall not cease this endless fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand."

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Cutting the grass and washing the dishes ....