During WWII, Britain came perilously close to losing. Germany used its U-boats in a way that Britain and its allies were unable to foresee or initially overcome. The Battle of the Atlantic saw the introduction of a new tactic, the Wolf Pack, resulting in the sinking of 5,841 ships from 1939 through 1943, which almost led to Britain’s defeat.

Asymmetry is how wars are won, and Israel, despite its vast military might, is facing a new kind of asymmetry, which sees it fighting according to Woke Western rules. These rules will ensure that the West never wins a war again.

Israel can defeat a standing army it meets on the battlefield with little problem. So can America. The problem is that the enemy also gets a vote on how wars are fought. Consequently, our enemies have learned to exploit our weaknesses while playing to their strengths. What you are seeing in Gaza today is the new playbook on how to conduct asymmetric war. So far, Israel has not been able to declare victory, because the enemy won’t surrender. But, as incredible as it sounds, there are those in Israel ready to surrender to Hamas. Don’t believe me?

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Here’s what Israeli Iris Haim has said, something repeated by thousands of Israelis:

Surrender? I am willing to surrender – for the hostages. For the last shred of dignity that remains for families like mine, who still have hope.

None seem to understand that surrender means more hostages and, eventually, death for all.

I understood why the Germans were torpedoing their enemies’ ships in a bid to starve Britain into submission and end the war on favorable terms. I understood why the Allies firebombed Dresden (killing tens of thousands) to destroy the will of the German people to conclude the war, for the same reason. I understood why in 1967 Israel preemptively destroyed the war-making ability of the Arab nations arrayed against it when it was outnumbered 50-1 and on the brink of promised annihilation by the Arab League.

However, what I don’t understand is how Hamas willingly sacrifices noncombatants, yet the world honors it as if it has clean hands, even as Israel is tarred in the vilest manner as the aggressor by both the world press and many political leaders. How can that be?

Hamas is the proverbial scorpion that knows nothing except to kill, torture, and mutilate its victims, primarily its own citizens, whom they use as pawns to increase the death count. Then, they dramatically inflate numbers, or treat combatants as civilians, often having the casualty numbers before an attack even occurs! The bigger the number, the better. They win by proclaiming their losses.

There’s an axiom of how wars must be fought, taught at any military war college: Never fight your enemy on their terms. But Israel seemingly can’t escape the web that Hamas has spun.

What we are witnessing in Israel today is the ultimate culmination of a “woke” war practice that began in America with the first Gulf War, largely to remove the stain of the Vietnam War. America was going to fight a pure war that didn’t touch civilians, so it shifted toward emphasizing how it was reducing collateral damage, rather than seeking traditional battlefield success. Here are some key inflection points that radically changed how the West wages (i.e., loses) wars:

1991 Gulf War

1999 Kosovo Air Campaign

This led to the rise of counterinsurgency doctrine (COIN), especially under Gen. David Petraeus, which emphasized population protection over enemy attrition. Following high-profile civilian casualties in drone strikes (e.g., Kabul 2021), the Pentagon launched the Civilian Arms Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP) in 2022.

The plan formalized harm reduction as a core strategic objective, not just a moral or legal obligation:

“Targeting processes have largely focused on analyses of effects on adversaries, with fewer resources dedicated to understanding the effects on collateral objects and the civilian environment.” — CHMR-AP, 2022

The Iraq War Philosophy

That’s Wokeism in action, something that runs completely counter to what should be the objective in any war: Kill people and destroy things. Win and Go Home

No amount of desire or technological advancement allows for “clean” wars that only kill combatants. We do ourselves a disservice when we claim or believe otherwise.

I am reminded of the 1991 Gulf War, where I had a front row seat to how far this utter nonsense had permeated. Even our enemies believed that we could surgically hit targets.

I particularly remember a high-rise in downtown Baghdad that housed the Iraqi intelligence headquarters. We tended to hit stuff at night (to minimize casualties), and that building had not yet been hit. Civilians had set up lawn chairs and brought food to watch the coalition forces bomb that building. Some were just across the street, with falafel vendors hawking their wares when we came. It was insane. No one has that kind of accuracy all the time; people die, and frequently not the enemy.

It is no different in Gaza except for one thing. Hamas invites high body counts to push the narrative that the October 7th massacre was only the act of a caged animal and must be understood in context. However, Israel, being assumed to be a moral nation, must act using the Victorian era Marquess of Queensberry Rules. This is an evil fantasy that every politician should know and that every soldier instinctively understands.

Now, Israel’s government knows the truth, but is teetering on the edge because it is a pluralistic nation that is ultimately run by its voting public. Benjamin Netanyahu knows the truth. Hamas must be decisively defeated, or there will be another and another October 7th. That is the undeniable logic that surrendering can’t change.

God Bless America!

Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com.