Quote Originally Posted by Bill Moore View Post
Concur, although I still think there are some worthwhile observations in the 4GW school of thought. I heard from a credible source that Hammes later wished he didn't attach his ideas to 4GW, because that association ended up discrediting an otherwise great work.
When I first read 'Sling and the Stone', it was an eye-opener that I learned a lot from. Even then (well before my SWC/IW/COIN/4GW/Hybrid War/etc education) I was uneasy with the concept. That didn't take away from the overall lesson of TX's book - these wars are about populations, narrative, and information.

That said, he spent the first 1/3d of the book making a foreceful argument for the GW concept, something that really detracted from my recent re-read.

For novices, the 4GW theory doesn't do any harm, it's just intellectually dishonest, and I still don't understand why Lind and Co. persist in promoting what is a bankrupt construct when other, more intellectually honest approaches are available.