Posted on 06/21/2018 10:33:59 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
President Donald Trump, like everyone alive today, never met Prussian military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz, but the author of “Vom Kriege” (“On War”) would have found pleasant company with the man who inspired “The Art of the Deal.” For Clausewitz, war involved politics in addition to “other means” to arrive at a “deal”; in other words to obtain the objectives of a nation at war.
For Mr. Trump, it’s about maximizing one’s leverage in obtaining the “deal,” one of his 11 tenets in the art of deal-making. And in that regard, Mr. Trump has demonstrated that he understands both the Clausewitzian concept of the “center of gravity” — the basis of an opponent’s power at the operational, strategic or political level — and the art of leveraging national power. Three examples are instructive: North Korea, Iran and ISIS.
North Korea’s center of gravity is the survival of the regime of Kim Jong-un. It’s a criminal cartel, but worse yet, one whose sidearms are a host of conventional artillery keenly aimed at South Korea and a nuclear threat recklessly pointed at the world. Which is why the president wasted no time putting “Little Rocket Man” in a very hot seat by ratcheting up the tough talk in response to Mr. Kim’s verbal threats and missile-launch intimidation.
Moreover he jettisoned the effete “strategic patience” approach of previous administrations and imposed “maximum pressure” on the Hermit Kingdom. That story is playing out now following the Singapore summit. Mr. Kim knows his regime is at stake. Mr. Trump does, too. Mr. Kim would be wise not to trifle with him.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Strategy blows away decades of bureaucrat over analysis and paralysis. The big picture is not dependent upon minutia. It is dependent upon clear view of the world and the enemies. Solutions do not come from computers, they come from perception and knowledge.
And behold, the results cannot be argued with. (except if you are part of the problem)
Now, can this be refocused inside the bureaucracy to fix the internal problems? Imagine that.
Trump has read and learned from the “art of War”.
That is a really great article by someone who has obviously studied tactics
One of the keys to being a good negotiator is that ALL decisions are emotional decisions when everything is said and done.
Thanks, I thought so myself.
Trump is an excellent leader. Although the Left does not agree.
I so love that.
“ALL decisions are emotional decisions”
I think of it as “judgment” not emotion.
That is an acquired skill in business leaders. I’ve worked for a few of them who had it.
I bought my copy long long ago. Not a large book, but certainly an important book.
Well, the point I was making was that even a careful and successful stock trader, at the end of the day, chooses his deals because he wants something that has nothing to do with stocks, be it power, a new Yacht, hot chicks, a farm, etc. A good salesman plays to that, though a “logical base” has to at least exist.
I think many successful negotiators just wear down the other side and part of the motivation is that “the deal is done and you can go have drinks”.
I spent 35+ years in the wholesale distribution business. With 2 family owned closely held companies. Both had leaders who were capable of good business decision making. And they had the power to make them without oversight.
I was in outside sales, sales management, sales support for most of that. Last 5-1/2 years I ran an advertising/print department. Heavy work load and we did whatever it took to get the job done. Weekends and nights when needed. It was necessary to make everything else work. I was never late on a project no matter the unrealistic expectations. We found a way to do it.
I’ve seen it many times.
Many of the customers were the same thing on a smaller scale.
I admire good business judgment. It is an acquired skill, I’ve watched sons following the past generation executive move into power. It is not easy to run a large company like that, but they made decisions like Trump does.
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