There is a new category of warfare: the war that has already ended, except for the part where everyone involved is still fighting.
Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet
•Nkpa is a contributing analyst to USAfricaonline.com
If the war is truly “very complete,” as President Donald Trump has assured the public, it represents a remarkable innovation in military doctrine: a conflict that reaches its conclusion before the fighting ends, an enemy that loses its capabilities while still using them, and a victory declared in advance of the battlefield confirming it. One could almost say the war has been successfully concluded, except, of course, for the war itself.
Trump insists the war with Iran is “very complete,” claiming that Iran has “no navy, no communications, no Air Force.” This, naturally, explains why U.S. and Israeli aircraft continue conducting airstrikes while Iranian forces keep launching responses across the region. In this curious theatre of war, the curtain has already fallen – even as the actors continue battling on stage.
Victory, therefore, has already been achieved – though it must still be pursued. The enemy’s capabilities have been “destroyed,” which is precisely why additional strikes continue, targeting what remains of them. Iran’s military power is gone – even as military briefings report Iranian attacks. The conflict thus occupies a peculiar strategic space: a war declared finished at the press conference, yet still very much alive on the battlefield.
The evolution of the mission helps explain the choreography. At first, the objective was to stop an imminent threat. Soon afterward it became preventing a nuclear Iran. Then discussions of regime change surfaced. Later, the focus expanded to destroying missiles, naval forces, and regional infrastructure. With each reported success, the goal advances slightly farther – like a finish line politely stepping backward every time the runners approach it.
So the war is nearly over, though not officially; the enemy is defeated, though still fighting; and the mission is accomplished, though still evolving. It is, in effect, a victory parade marching confidently toward a battlefield that has not yet received the memo.
Which may explain why, in this strange modern war, the only thing that appears fully destroyed is the meaning of victory itself.
Sometimes the loudest victory is the one still searching for its definition.
In any case, victory ultimately depends on two disciplines that must never be neglected: an honest understanding of oneself and a clear-eyed understanding of the opponent. An enemy’s capabilities should never be underestimated, nor should their apparent disadvantages be dismissed, for misjudging either can blind us to the opportunities hidden within their errors. At the same time, overestimating our own advantages often begins the moment leaders stop questioning their assumptions and grow comfortable with their plans.
For in war – as in strategy generally – overconfidence is more dangerous than uncertainty, and only continuous, realistic evaluation keeps judgment aligned with reality.
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