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How to start a War - The Script

Turkish Army on Patrol at the Iraq Border AP

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It's as if the Turks have somehow gotten hold of the old 'script', including the breaks and time lines. Isn't it all becoming so familiar that anybody with an ear for the news could just hop on board and become the main architect for war in any country, any theater on the globe. It's easy, just follow these simple instructions and you too can be involved in an expansionist war before breakfast!
You have to be hard though, you have to be prepared to engineer a few border clashes of your own, be prepared to let a few of your own side die for the accomplishment of your political aims.
Of course if you can't get them to 'Clash' on the borders you can always make one up, (if it's far enough away and out of sight of any reporters.) Let's say you where somewhere like the Bay of Tonkin, how could you set that one up?
Then of course, you'd have to appeal to any world authority available at the time for help. It's important to give the impression that you are not at all eager to go to war, after all, what percentage of your people will stand for that.
If there isn't a handy world authority interested in your cause what about a nicely placed occupying force in the immediate area, one that would be far to busy and overstretched to do anything at all about your impassioned cries for help. Yep, that would do nicely, thank you very much.
So you've got it all set up and you are just sitting back waiting for the headlines to appear. Right on cue, here they come. You sit back and dream of dividing the spoils, new land, new resources, new bargaining power as you go forward into the 'Big Club' that you've been knocking on the great gates for years now.
At some time during your reverie the little niggling doubts begin to creep in.
How do you keep the bit players on script, the ones that don't give a damn about what the rest of the world thinks?
You realize that you can't, but it's too late now, the plan is gaining momentum and the troops are at the front.
You begin to think about which tall buildings you can quickly take about fifty floors off before the bit players notice.

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{"commentId":1117279,"authorDomain":"eddiefrench"}

Nothing changes down the years. It's so stale that you have to wonder if there is just the one script.
And if so - Why hasn't somebody written a new one?

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Reply#1 - Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:05 AM EDT
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