Can One Man Declare War and Win?

[shloky]

Something to drive the discussion:

To get a handle on what Robb is talking about, read The White Plague by Frank Herbert. .

[emjayinc]

Seems one way to get a handle on the "global guerilla" is to regard him in the context of globalization, as discussed in, for example, TPM Barnett and T Friedman. A "flat world" with 3 zones of operations: the Core, The Gap, and The Seam, and both physical and virtual commo and transport easily, quickly, and covertly effected, is just the kind of sea required for the global ""transnational, non-state") guerilla to become real, rather than just a staple of fictional Blofeldian or Mad Maxian style adventure. John LeCarre's "Philip" character in recently published "The Mission Song" is maybe a good example of a "global guerilla" leader in a contemporary setting.

[ericmwalters]

Assuming a Clausewitzian definition of war being a continuation of politics/policy by other--more violent--means, it may be possible for a single individual to wage war given trends towards greater global connectivity. It would assume, however, that the individual has a personal political agenda/end and that he/she possesses effective ways and means to conduct such a war versus other political entities (be they state or, more likely, non-state). It is this latter consideration (ways and means) which would seem to be at issue. If one can inflict damage through a highly developed network and still assure anonymity/concealment, I'd think this is possible.

Good gist for a novel or movie screenplay, I'd say. Sometimes it takes art to explore ideas that mere philosophy and political theory is reluctant to address.