Victor Davis Hanson: When Has War Even Been ‘Proportional?’

American Greatness ^ | 16 Nov, 2023 | Victor Davis Hanson

[MtnClimber]

Israel's conventional disproportionality is proving more effective than the terrorist disproportionality of Hamas.

Proportionality in war is a synonym for lethal stalemate, if not defeat.

When two sides go at it with roughly equal forces, weapons, and strategies, the result is often a horrific deadlock—like the four years of toxic trench warfare on the Western Front of World War I that resulted in 12 million fatalities.

The purpose of war is to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible with the least number of causalities—and thereby achieve political ends.

So, every side aims to find superior strategies, tactics, weapons, and manpower to ensure as great a disproportionate advantage as possible.

Hamas is no exception.

Its savage precivilizational strategy to defeat Israel hinged on doing disproportionate things Israel either cannot or will not do.

First, Hamas spent a year planning a preemptive butchery spree inside Israel. Its ruthless murdering focused on “soft targets” like unarmed elderly, women, children, and infants, mostly asleep at a time of peace and holiday.

Second, it sought to collectively shock Israel into paralysis by the sheer horror of decapitating civilians, burning babies, mass raping, and mutilating bodies.

Another apparent aim of such premodern barbarity was to blame Israel’s “occupation” for turning Gazans into veritable monsters, with hopes of derailing the renewed Abraham Accords.

Third, the gunmen took more than 240 hostages back with them to Gaza.

Again, that was a disproportionate tactic designed to meter out the release of captives in exchange for “pauses” and “cease-fires” to save Hamas.

Additionally, Hamas made implicit threats of gruesome executions of captives unless Israel ceased their retaliation for October 7.

Fourth, all the while Hamas shot rockets into Israel, more than 7,000 in total, and all aimed at civilians.

[MtnClimber]

The pro-Hamas rallies in the US have shined a spotlight on who the leftists are. Not that it was not pretty clear before.

[MtnClimber]

VDH ping

[\/\/ayne]

It’s just their excuse for supporting terrorism.

[Gnome1949]

War is not a tennis match. You have to fight in every way to totally defeat the enemy and take away his will to continue the fight.

[sauropod]

.

[Bob434]

They scream for “proportional war” yet they don’t give a hoot about “proportional civilian defense” whn it comes to Americans being well armed enough to defend themselves against all tyranny foreign and domestic

[Tell It Right]

The ever wise VDH reminds us that war is not meant to be “proportionate”.

[piytar]

I’ve said this here many times.

Only two ways exist to win a war:

(1) Kill all of the enemy.

(2) Break the enemy’s will to fight.

There is no third option.

Israel gets this.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Great question.

[texas booster]

Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

The unapologetic aim was to kill thousands of Israelis at random and disproportionately.

In fact, in just the last few four weeks, Hamas has launched more than twice as many rockets into Israel as Nazi Germany managed to launch V-2s into Britain in five months.

VDH at his finest, and he is correct. The Middle East believes in the "strong horse", and whatever else Biden and his puppet masters try to do, they are NOT a strong horse.

Maybe even Iran will get the message?

FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR

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American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness

His website: Victor Davis Hanson

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[PGalt]

Allah’s asymmetric murderers.

[GMMC0987]

A military axiom states that if you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan properly.

[libertylover]

The purpose of war is to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible with the least number of causalities—and thereby achieve political ends.

Exactly, but that's something leftists refuse to understand.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

I recommend taking the time to watch this video-—

Farming, Warfare, and a Classical Life | Victor Davis Hanson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcr7ASp8rkY

[fhayek]

Well, I would phrase it slightly differently. The only way to win a war is to break the enemy’s will. If that requires your first option, then so be it.

[rktman]

Hmmmm! When “fairshare” was definable? 😁

🙏🇺🇸🇮🇱👍

[JudyinCanada]

Wouldn’t a proportional war just become a perpetual war? This is likely exactly what they want. If you can’t ramp things up and win, the fighting and profits will continue until someone runs out of ammunition, people, or both.

[Manic_Episode]

As efficiently and effectively as possible.

Besides that Hamas baby raping squad and cowardly use of human shields already threw all proportionality out the window.

[TTFlyer]

Dunno about that. The Left has pretty much destroyed the American Republic without the use of a classic organized military force and with few casualties to themselves.