By Steve Levy
- Never enter into a war that you’re not committed to finishing.
- Never broadcast to your enemy that deploying ground troops is off the table.
- Never bluff 30 times that you’re going to use military force without pulling the trigger.
- Never let short-term domestic volatility affect your long-term quest for success in your war effort.
- Never negotiate the terms of your agreement in public.
- Never negotiate, as JD Vance did, on the theory that words don’t matter, only action does. Words put down on paper matter a great deal because they clarify the items that supposedly were committed to, thereafter allowing you to judge whether the terms are being upheld.
- Never try to please all people. You will wind up pleasing no one.
- If you enter into a war, win it. From there, everything will fall into place and your critics will be silenced.
- Never try to spin an agreement into something it’s not when that agreement will be disclosed several days down the line.
- Never let your opponent believe that you are more desperate for a deal than they are. See Barack Obama in 2015.
- Never enter into a war without laying the foundation first with the American people. When an existential situation arises, such as our mortal enemies getting nuclear weapons, don’t ever center your war efforts around the price of oil or the economy. Make it all about survival and stick to it.
- If you have your opponent on the ropes and ready to fall, don’t let up and don’t give them a chance to catch their breath.