“ that the idea of decisive victory through battle is a romantic trope left over from the only time in history when wars were routinely decided by a single clash of arms: the long century bookended by the battles of Breitenfeld (1631) and Waterloo (1815).” qz.com/1758673/are-mo…
We seem to have lost the idea of punitive expeditions. Last seen when Bush Sr made Saddam smell the glove.
In encourage everyone to read the history of punitive expeditions. Easily the most cinematic, hilarious and satisfying wars one could hope for. Here is a list of American punitive expeditions. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:…
Our devastating wars against Fiji are among my favorite. The first war was caused by an errant celebratory cannon shot, the second began with the classic line "In the summer of 1859, two American citizens on Waya were killed and cannibalized by the natives"en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Fij…
To which the Fijians replied" “Do you suppose we have killed the two white men for nothing? No, we killed them and we have eaten them. We are great warriors, and we delight in war.”
"Caldwell noted that two ramrods and one bayonet were lost during the march"
Drinks all round.
"Caldwell noted that two ramrods and one bayonet were lost during the march"
Drinks all round.
The best known punitive expedition is the hunt for Pancho Villa which was professionally filmed after a contract was signed between Pancho and D. W. Griffith's Mutual Film Corporation. Pancho got $25,000 in advance and 50% of the movie's earnings.
this opens the Trumpian idea that we could now sell the film rights to our future wars, rendering the Pentagon, CIA and NSA profitably but only if they make it sizzle! smithsonianmag.com/history/uncove…
For example why can't the NSA monetize their war against Russian hackers? It might look something like this:
In Trump 2020 we can simply replace the State Department with:
