Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Morality, Economy & War

Morality, Economy & War

Before invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin would have done well listening to Chinese Philosopher Tsu Tzu: ‘’ the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
Success in any conflict is decided by a host of factors, not simply military strength. First, there is the moral factor or the way the world perceives the conflict, which essentially is a subjective question based on the weight of world opinion. A sage political mind stated once: ‘’ diplomacy is war without the guns.’’

Superpowers cannot today afford to ignore the world view, or the views of various actors who may, or who may not, have a stake in a conflict. The reason for diplomacy is to avoid war and the tragic consequences of war.

Then, the opinion of the public within a national border today is just as greatly impacted by digital media as the opinion of people outside that country’s borders. News in 2022 travels at the speed of light. Opinion today knows no geographic boundary, as newspapers are increasingly digital and global, and read cross border.

When the people of a country back a war the country is fighting, the prospect for success is greater, than when the people are not in favor of the conflict. When public morale is low, that in turn affects the morale of the troops.

Adolf Hitler may have continued for many more years in his ultimately futile attempt to conquer and rule Europe if he had not initiated a massacre of European Jewry. That act of genocide was a moral albatross that led to low morale among his soldiers and may have even led to an attempt on his life by insiders.

That act of genocide raised the stakes, and the determination of Roosevelt and Churchill to crush the Nazis.

In fact, Holocaust apart, Hitler’s quest for a Greater Germany was always going to fail as it went against the idea of self- determination and freedom which held the moral high ground, even in 1939.

Then the man with resources has the bigger club. Russia may sit on a trillion-dollar petroleum economy. However, the Russian economy is dwarfed by the economic might of the USA and its western European Allies.

It takes money to fight an effective military campaign, and the USA has the resources to fund war many times more than Russia.

At the very basic- and weapons and equipment aside- armies require three types of resource to fight a war: food, water and fuel. These are resources that guarantee continuity in life and war, and basic resources that can swiftly become scarce when war is long and hard fought.

The adversary with the greater supply of water, food and fuel, is usually the side with the bigger economy.

One reason Japan acted so desperately in the Pacific in the early 1940s was in order to secure the oil resources of Borneo, Burma, and Malay, as the Japanese knew the natural oil resources owned and controlled by the Allies would offer Western Forces a huge military advantage.

Then military strength, which today is decided by strategy, technology, and logistics, is the third factor.

However, all three: moral, economic, and military are tied together in systemic fashion. The nation that has the advantage of possessing all three factors to the optimum will frequently be victorious.

Vladimir Putin has inadvertently taken on the West in his attempt to subjugate Ukraine.

It appears the tyrant is severely lacking in what it takes to win a long and drawn out conflict.

The west on the other hand has the primacy in the first two factors – world public opinion and economics- and can easily use that primacy to build and tool its joint forces to prevail against the Tyrant- in the long run.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
×