Economic Warfare

Submitted by SAKOVKT (United States), Dec 22, 2015 at 08:34

By the time Adam Smith wrote his "Wealth of Nations" in 1776, the "free market" was already a myth, as he American Reovlutin demonstrated.

The Mercantile System was a government-commerce cullosion as was the Spanish Empire and every empire that eve was or is.

In th 1880-1890s, Graf von Moltke responded to questions about the future of war, that it would become less restricted, that efforts to contain it were foolish, because increasing industrialization would make military targets of entire economies, rather than just armies, their supply routes and arsenals.

Later writers of the Spengler school of thought concurred for other reasons.

But, it is all happening.

The very material comforts of 21st Century life have all become miltarized, to varying degrees.

The stock market and commodity prices are today as much the result of gov't policy as any market forces.

The dramatic difference between WW1 and WW2 was all due to the gasoline and diesel engines which made petroleum reserves a strategic war material for the first time.

Today, there is practically no commodity which does not have military value.

This is an unfortunate turn of events which we're probably all just going to have to deal with.

Hoarding isn't a bad idea.

Alternatively, short wars should be sought rather than these incompetently led, long drawn out affairs of attrition which Clausewitz regarded as war at its worst.

The Tradtional method was to first, politically isolate the enemy over a realistic issue.

Then, goad him into making the first military move.

Conclude the war swiftly, before it gets out of control and resolve that issue.

Generally, it is best to leave the defeated regime in control since it is this regime that has surrendered and lost its power. It can also pay reparations if the war is concluded before the limit of Total War is reached, at which point, the victor really doesn't win much.

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