steve on Nostr: “The Evolution of a Revolt” by T.E. Lawrence & “On Protracted Warfare” by Mao ...
“The Evolution of a Revolt” by T.E. Lawrence &
“On Protracted Warfare” by Mao Tse-Tung
⭐️⭐️⭐️
T.E. Lawrence, popularly known as “Lawrence of Arabia,” was a British soldier who wrote about his experiences the Middle East fighting the Ottoman Empire during WWI. In this work, Lawrence lays out how a small group of Arabs ultimately fought back a numerically and technologically superior Turkish force by employing “unconventional” tactics. Flipping traditional military theory on its head, Lawrence writes on how tactics in irregular warfare can achieve strategic effects, ultimately buying time for a more regular engagement and victory. He highlights this point by breaking down the algebraic, biological, and psychological elements of irregular warfare. Meanwhile, Mao, the first chairmen of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote his multi-vocal piece with numerous audiences in mind during the Japanese occupation of WWII. Mao is simultaneously cultivating a mass movement in rural China while also garnering support from an international audience (primarily the USSR). He lays out a style of irregular warfare that is similar to that described by Lawrence, but places a heavy ideological focus on the power of the people themselves. For Mao, China’s greatest asset is the sheer volume of their populace… an asset he was not afraid to “throw into the fire” when it suited his political aims. These two writings form the operational underpinnings of how irregular warfare works and when it is best applied. 🇨🇳👳🏽♂️
“On Protracted Warfare” by Mao Tse-Tung
⭐️⭐️⭐️
T.E. Lawrence, popularly known as “Lawrence of Arabia,” was a British soldier who wrote about his experiences the Middle East fighting the Ottoman Empire during WWI. In this work, Lawrence lays out how a small group of Arabs ultimately fought back a numerically and technologically superior Turkish force by employing “unconventional” tactics. Flipping traditional military theory on its head, Lawrence writes on how tactics in irregular warfare can achieve strategic effects, ultimately buying time for a more regular engagement and victory. He highlights this point by breaking down the algebraic, biological, and psychological elements of irregular warfare. Meanwhile, Mao, the first chairmen of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote his multi-vocal piece with numerous audiences in mind during the Japanese occupation of WWII. Mao is simultaneously cultivating a mass movement in rural China while also garnering support from an international audience (primarily the USSR). He lays out a style of irregular warfare that is similar to that described by Lawrence, but places a heavy ideological focus on the power of the people themselves. For Mao, China’s greatest asset is the sheer volume of their populace… an asset he was not afraid to “throw into the fire” when it suited his political aims. These two writings form the operational underpinnings of how irregular warfare works and when it is best applied. 🇨🇳👳🏽♂️