June 9, 2026
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The Liberal Way of War: Reinterpreting Sun Tzu for the Modern Era
by Doniphan Blair
Doniphan Blair revealed his new thesis 'The Liberal Way of War', during his fourth presentation at the Henry Miller Memorial Library Big Sur, California. photo: D. Blair PLEASE support our research expenses, rebuilding the cineSOURCE site and more with a one-time or ongoing subscription.
'The Liberal Way of War' was first presented as a lecture at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, in Big Sur, California, on July 27, 2025, see the video here.
It summarizes Blair's four decades studying war, notably the ancient sage of strategy, Sun Tzu, and how his philosophy applies to the current conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. He also researched World War Two, notably his mother’s experiences in the Holocaust, leading to this essay and theory about evolution, "Darwin and Love: What I Learned Making a Holocaust Movie".
Sun Tzu, of 6th century BCE China, remains the premier theorist of war, despite stiff competition from the 16th century Italian, Machiavelli, and 19th century German, Clausewitz. illo: ancient Chinese artist The Liberal Way of War
#1) Be tolerant, #2) Negotiate from the start, #3) Absorb the first blows, #4) Study the situation, #5) Build moral legitimacy, allies, strategy, equipment and communication, #6) Enact advanced military tactics, #7) Fight humanely but to win, #8) Help reformed enemies.
Sun Tzu’s Art of War
Sun Tzu, 6th century BCE, China, starts with: “The art of war is of vital importance to the State… a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin,” which must be studied assiduously.
He divides the discipline into five parts: (#1) “Moral Law,” which refers to the society’s ruler having elevated values that subjects respect enough to fight for, (#2) “Heaven,” meaning time, weather and season, (#3) “Earth,” meaning terrain, distance and supplies, (#4) “The Commander,” who requires wisdom and courage, and (#5) “Method and Discipline,” the organization of armies so they operate efficiently. (This balances the elusive nurture-nature controversy, with nurture represented in the first, fourth and fifth part, and nature in two and three.)
In the first section he notes, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we attack, we must seem unable… when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away.” In specific tactical terms, Master Tzu's best trick is: “Hold out bait to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him,” Lionel Giles’s translation, which I paraphrase as, “Bait the enemy with the straight move; beat them with the freak move.” Fans of that philosophy, the Mongolians would attack with a small force, pretend to be routed and retreat back to where a larger force was hidden.
After covering field tactics, Master Tzu’s third section is strategic analysis, which he starts with, “(T)o fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
While neither Germany nor Japan produced four engine bombers, the US was eventually producing one B-24 Super Fortress bomber every hour, which may have triggered some regret among the fascists. illustration: D. Blair Although this means “The greatest soldier never fights,” by maintaining overwhelming superiority in arms, discipline and diplomacy—also called “Peace through superior fire power”—it maintains the Buddha-like spiritual and moral focus on peace and prosperity, which is achieved through effective war fighting, the more ethical side winning and a shorter war, which saves lives in the long run.
Humanitarian war fighting or the Liberal Way of War must be coupled with “The Trolley Problem,” identified by British philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967. It postulates if there is a runaway trolley headed towards five people but the conductor could switch it to a side track, killing one person later, what should they do? There is also the surgeon who must attack the patient to save them. It still follows Clausewitz’s thesis that the shorter war is more humane. Hence, bring the full force of arms as soon as possible so rational actors can understand the obvious outcome.
Unfortunately, war is the product of immature, wishful thinkers, often on both sides, who ignore the evidence that fascists will traditionally attack neighbors or foes. In fact, this survival-of-the-fittest contest dates back to Cain killing Abel. Unfortunately, most people, as well as most fascists, have not read Darwin’s second book, “The Descent of Man Through Selection by Sex”, which proves that sexual selection and reproduction and other forms of cooperation are just as important to survival as natural selection.
The Harsh Reality of War Eventually Forces Mature Rationalism
(and the sacrifice of the dream ideal for the functional reality)
If we have to fight, Master Tzu advises: (#1) “The highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans,” i.e. attack their strategy. (#2) “The next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces”, attack their alliances. (#3) “The next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field,” attack their armies. (#4) “And the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities,” attacking their people.
By assiduously following Master Tzu, the tolerant, loving and liberal can prevail, as they always do, albeit sometimes after long periods of horror.
Urged to go ahead by Laura Loomer, the 'Secretary of Conspiracy Theories,' Trump flip-flopped multiple times before bombing Iran on June 22, 2025, although he did maintain some Liberal Way of War practices, like giving warnings and continuing negotiations. illustration: D. Blair Fourteen Thoughts for the Chaos of July 2025
1. Trumpian Governance Through Conspiracy Theories
Although this is the opposite of Master Tzu’s ethics, strategy and leadership, it does provide a cracked, pseudo-democratic mechanism for inspiring followers and gauging their interests, by proselytizing conspiracy theories, researching which ones are popular, and following populist sentiment.
Trump flip-flopped on America’s bombing of Iran on June 22nd (2025), the first strike after 45 years of Iranian animosity, but he abides some of the Liberal Way of War, even though conspiracy theories are inherently fascist. He claims to be opposed to war, he gave ample warnings, and he continued negotiations.
2. Israel Abides the Liberal Way of War
Aside from the Deir Yassin massacre—4/9/1948, 107 killed—Israel fights much more humanely than its opponents, in keeping with monotheistic precepts of justice and that one God would create all humans equal. This is evident in their providing warnings to civilians, not targeting them or giving medical care. (For example,) Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar received cancer treatment in an Israeli jail.
Israel refrained from, or was restrained by its allies, from imposing the full bitterness of defeat on its enemies. And it gradually made Arabs full citizens, notably the Druze who have served in the Israel Defense Force since 1956.
Conversely, Israel endured many decades of attacks, three large wars and two (prolonged( terror campaigns, the Intifadas, 1987-93 and 2000-05. The earlier attacks and wars were directed by feudal lords, often using mercenaries, and authoritarian rulers. But the Intifadas were by the Palestinians, who were forced (by their cousins and co-religionists) to take on the antizionist duties.
In point of fact, upper-class and working-class liberal Arabs welcomed Jewish immigrants and the vast improvements in economy and services, which attracted Arab immigration to Israel, while Jewish labor activists insured they were properly paid. (See "Behind the Silken Curtain", Bartley Crum, 1947.)
The presentation accepted interruptions—this man said 'Free Palestine' and supported a one, non-Jewish state. photo: D. Blair But the authoritarian Arab elite betrayed them. They encouraged Palestinians to flee their homes in the war of 1948—although a majority stayed, hence Israel’s 21% Arab population. They interned them in refugee camps; and they denied them citizenship, while the UN established their unique status as “the eternal refugee.” This made Palestinians both the symbolic Arab victims and the designated revenge fighters. (Hence, they could symbolically redeem the failure of Arab civilization by preventing the tiny, native tribe of Judah from reestablishing a functional society on a small plot of land in the Middle East.)
There were almost ten land-for-peace deals, but only one was accepted, peace with Egypt in 1979, which was pioneered by the brilliant Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, a fascist turned liberal. Under the pressure of almost a century of unrelenting violence, however, Israelis turned the other way, , climaxing on 10/7, the worst pogrom since the Holocauast.
Originally one of the most liberal populations worldwide—quite socialist, in fact, with full medical and education and many cooperatives kibbutzes—Israelis naturally turned right. Hence, the enormous Peace Now marches, attended by a seventh of the country, and the Oslo Peace Accords of the 1990s gave way to the increasingly conservative Netanyahu. (This trend was finalized with) Arafat refusing Clinton’s generous land-for-peace deal, 96% of the West Bank plus 4% anywhere else in Israel, and the Second Intifada.
Instead of the stones of the First Intifada, it featured 125 suicide bombings, killing hundreds and maiming and traumatizing amny more. Twenty years later, 10/7 spoke an even more extreme language of war by enacting every imaginable violation (of humanity) save cannibalism. This signaled Hamas’s determination to fight to the death, a challenge for even the most liberal warrior, who must satisfy their base by abiding the Liberal Way of War, while proving to fascists they have the guts to prosecute such a dirty war, which is another form of horse shoe politics.
Blair responded politely to protestors but limited them to a couple of minutes. photo: D. Blair 3. The Liberal Way of War Kept Casualties Low
Although Israel suffered severe losses in their War of Independence, the War of 1948,—almost one percent of the population—casualties in the Arab-Israeli conflict were a rounding error compared to the other wars of the 1940s and many since.
Before 10/7, over a century of conflict, which started with the gruesome Hebron massacre, 68 Jews, 1929, there were less than 150,000 deaths, total, both sides. Although the conflict appeared more murderous, due to the symbolic nature of the struggle, such a low level of killing, left a large reservoir of immaturity and irrationalism among those untutored by the brutal reality of total war.
Gaza is grotesque tragedy, additionally exaggerated by the symbolism of the Middle East, but the approximately half civilians to half fighters causualty rate, is much better than the nine to one of the American-Iraqi fight against the Islamo-fascist ISIS in Mosul 2004. Add to Mosul the biggest bunker in history, with the 300 miles of tunnels, and Hamas’s citizens-as-human-shield strategy, and you have history’s most difficult battle space.
4. Irrational War is Based On Conspiracy Theories
#1 Authoritarian and religious regimes depend on scapegoating and conspiracy theories to deflect from their poor governance, and manipulate their citizens.
#2 Since Jews lived throughout the Middle East for millennia, and were considered second class citizens, they made the perfect scapegoat, able to unify diverse groups, in the Middle East just as in Nazi Germany. “Antisemitism is the socialism of fools,” as the saying goes, but so is extreme nationalism and Islamism. The parent organization of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, started in Egypt, 1928, borrowed fascist ideas, uniforms and rallies, while others became actual Nazis.
#3 The Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, appointed by a Jewish-English colonial officer, led the Arab Uprising of 1936, murdered many Arab liberals, and spent 1942-44 in Berlin, encouraging Muslims to join the Nazis and the Nazis to bring the Holocaust to Palestine. To create a more powerful death cult than the Nazis, Hamas used Islam’s metaphors about heavenly sex and the suicide attack strategy started by Persian Assassins in 12th century.
While Tel Aviv has the biggest Pride Parade outside of the US (clandestinely attended by Gazan gays) and Hamas is notorious for killing gays, some radical gays feel it would be worth the sacrifice. photo: courtesy Quillette 5. The AntiZionist Left is committing Sado-Masochist, Pseudo-Revolutionary Suicide by Proxy
Although the Soviet Union voted in 1948 for Israel, and it was a leading socialist state supported by the Left, Israel became a symbol of western imperialism after the 1967 Six Day War, when the United States switched to backing it.
Since then, liberals and leftists shifted their allegiance from the nationalism of Nasser and the socialism Arafat to the Islamo-fascism of Hamas. Although the United Nations was a foundational liberal institution, designed to end war, it was coopted into a grievance forum, obsessed with sanctioning Israel, which took up almost half of its business.
Hence, the UN refugee agency, which settled tens of millions of refugees from 1945 to 1955, established a second entity for Palestinians, which did the opposite: kept them in refugee camps and blocked the from becoming citizens of Egypt, Lebanon, etc. Moreover, UN funds were used to indoctrinate Palestinians into Hamas’s death cult, accumulate its war material, and make some of its leaders billionaires.
Leftists have long been attracted to Islamists and vice versa, despite the tragedy of the Iranian revolution, where the leftists were soon eliminated, because both have a totalist world view and charity for the poor.
Indeed, the hundreds of antiZionist demonstrations worldwide since 10/7—with the horse shoe politics of leftists joining with Islamo-fascists and neo-Nazis—provides the popular support that drives Hamas’s to-the-death struggle. They hope their martyrdom also drives the next antiZionist total war.
Not only do Islamo-fascists “Love death as much as liberals love life,” they believe in illiberal childhoods, replete with harsh discipline and authoritarian societies, which represses and traumatizes their people, especially women, gays and artists. But that makes them more macho, forcing them to bond with their fathers or tyrants in a type of Stockholm or repressed father hatred syndrome.
This is well explained by Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas leader, in his books, movies and current pro-Israeli speaking tours. Raped as a youth, Yousef worked for Hamas until he rejected their irrationality and brutality when he was in an Israeli prison. After becoming an Israeli spy, he stopped dozens of suicide bombings during the Second Intifada and became liberal democrat and yoga teacher.
Simon Woodiwiss enjoys a cup of tea on duty with the International Air Defenders protecting Kyiv, see article. photo: S. Woodiwiss6. Ukraine and Israel Are Standing Up for Liberal Democracy
Regardless of what you think of Zelensky or Netanyahu, Ukraine and Israel are liberal democracies attacked by fascist entities determined to eliminate them. Hence, Middle Eastern and Eastern European liberal democrats support Ukraine and Israel, tacitly or overtly, including a new wave of Arab Zionists and even some Gazans.
Imagine the tragedy of suffering through the Israel-Gaza War only to have some Hamas emerge from the tunnels, claim victory, retake Gaza, as well as the leadership of the radical Arab-Iranian imagination, and repeat the process in a few years.
The Middle East had a strong feminist and art movement, the Partisans of the Nude, started in the 1930s, but that was ended by fascism and Islamism. Indeed, many liberals are reluctant to express their beliefs knowing that the fascists are still in power and will oppress them. With each success of liberal democracy, however, more will emerge.
7. Liberals Are Inevitably Attacked by Fascists But Equally Inevitably Win
Over time, any given liberal democracy will eventually be attacked by fascists, from within as well as without, because fascists believe liberals and democracies are weak, decadent and an easy mark.
As the North proved in the Civil War, the Allies in World War Two, and Ukraine today, the Liberal Way of War is effective, innovative and inspiring, if slow. It takes trusting and optimistic liberals a long time to recognize a threat, discover a functional strategy, invent the appropriate equipment, and go into overdrive.
When they do, however, liberals abide Master Tzu’s Art of War in choosing a path with morality and rationalism, which inspires enthusiasm, creativity, bravery and hard work. Although it may take years, decades or centuries, liberal societies, the offspring of Abel, always beat the fascists, the children of Cain. If they didn’t, we’d still be in caves under the thumbs of bullies.
8. Conspiracy Theories Eventually Lead to Genocide
A conspiracy theory is a false narrative that provides real emotional benefit and a psychological shield from Repressed Father Hatred Syndrome. Indeed, false narratives are part of religion, theatre, fantasy roleplaying, and undercover police work (where they are acknowledged as imaginary) but also fascism. Fascists often claim a conspiracy theory is true and incorporate it into their political platform, leading to the need to kill the physical representation of the truth.
When the Nazis based their program on “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, the Russian secret police forgery about Jewish world domination, they automatically needed a genocide to redeem their false narrative.
Given the current rightwing American obsession with conspiracy theories, from the “Stolen 2020 Election” to Epstein or Gabbard’s claim elites are building bunkers for World War Three, such an outcome in America suddenly seems possible. It is offset, however, by Trump’s lack of focus, tendency to flip-flop or TACO, Trump Always Chickens Out, and scapegoating of immigrants.
9. Arab and Muslim Zionists Will Save the Middle East
Rational Middle Easterners recognize that Palestinianism, which claims the ancient Jewish heritage is a hoax and they were the original people of the land, is a conspiracy theory.
Inspired by the Arab Spring, studying liberal democracy at school, social media and supportive fathers, Arab liberals from Dahlia Zadia, the Egyptian democracy activist and think tanker, to Luai Ahmed, the Yemini-Swedish journalist, queer and activist, and the great podcaster Yasmine Muhammad, Canadian-Egyptian-Gazan, are becoming increasingly enthusiastic Zionists. Some are moving to Israel and a few converting to Judaism, notably the Syrian-Lebanese-French woman Rawan Osman.
Now that the IDF decapitated Hezbollah in Lebanon, which helped the overthrow the murderous Assad Regime in Syria—600,000 killed in 13 years of civil war—more Arab Zionists will emerge. Given there are also many Iranian Zionists, they will help foster the acceptance of Israel and lead the slow but inevitable democratic development of the Middle East.
10. Unresolved Syria and the Greek Tragedy of Gaza
With the Druze being massacred in Southern Syria, Syrian clerics issuing “fatwas,” religious edicts, allowing the capture of Druze women as sex slaves, and Israel intervention, from bombing Damascus’s Ministry of War to allowing Israeli Druze to help their cousins, the future of Syria is uncertain under President al-Julani, originally al-Sharaa.
Moreover, Hamas determination to fight to the death, use Gazans as human shields and steal their supplies, as well as problems with Israeli food distribution and some trigger-happy IDF conscripts, is making Hamas’s “Sado-Masochist Pseudo-Revolutionary Suicide” ever more grotesque. Notably, the UN preventing 950 trucks from entering because they don’t want to collaborate with Israel. Some good Samaritans try to get Egypt to open is blockade of Gaza and have started airlifts.
Meanwhile, France, Ireland and others are providing symbolic support for Palestinianism, while Trump, India and others are opposing it, and whether Islamo-fascism will live to fight another day is undecided. If it does, it will undoubtedly rebuild and, in a few years, attempt another annihilationist attack, perhaps with a nuclear weapon.
11. Ukraine in the Third Year of a Ten Year War of Attrition
The situation in Ukraine is grim, with massively increased Russian bombardment, Trumpian disinterest, and the recent embroglio over Zelensky’s conflicts with Ukraine’s anti-corruption organizations. Many of my Ukrainian friends are depressed, although the ones joining the army remain enthusiastic. Nevertheless, the Ukrainians are innovating and working hard, producing millions of drones and attacking deep into Russia, including the strategic trick of trucking in cargo containers full drones, which destroyed much of Russia’s strategic bombers, and would have made Master Tzu very proud.
They are also annihilating up a 1000 Russians daily. The Russian economy could also collapse, if secondary sanctions on their oil was enforced. While Poland, Finland and now Gemany is vigorously supporting Ukraine, there are virtually no Ukrainian flags in the United States, meaning that if the Left supported a democratic Ukraine, it could turn the tide.
12. War Is Forced Maturation
In a development similar to Dostoevsky’s condemned man having incredible insights while approaching the gallows, the irresponsible and immature man and woman will eventually become rational and responsible due to the punishing hard-knocks education of war.
13. If Israel Wins the 7-Front War of 10/7
The victory of a liberal democratic entity in the Middle East, even if limited to the tiny territory of Israel, will free up those fearing for their lives or suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or Repressed Father Hatred Syndrome, to speak and act freely, spurring liberal democratic developments.
After the pager/walkie-talkie Attack, which decapitated Hezbollah in September 2024—and would have overjoyed Master Tzu—Lebanon has had promising political developments. The election of a new government, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, in early 2025, may end a long period of dysfunction and domination by Islamo-fascists and help their severe economic crisis. (Empowered by Israeli attacks, a rebel alliance seized Damascus causing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia on December 8, 2024, although they haven't instituted a democracy.)
14. Toxic Men are Fascist
The dysfunctional macho patriarchy inevitably goes fascist. Nevertheless, the brutal physical education of actual war or the intellectual study of Master Tzu’s art, can lead the childish irresponsible man to become a responsible adult and make peace and balance, as I show in the conclusion to “What I Learned Making a Holocaust Movie: Darwin and Love”, the last chapter of my mother Tonia R. Blair’s book about the Holocaust, “Love at the End of the World” Stories of War, Romance and Redemption” (available on Amazon).
15. What Would Henry Miller Think?
(Bonus point because the presentation was at the Henry Miller Library.)
Although Henry Miller fled WWII in early 1939 and settled as far away as possible, in Big Sur, California, and eschewed politics, his dedication to free speech, liberal sex and avant-garde ideas makes him a poster boy for liberal democracy.
Indeed, he never voiced support for fascists as did his literary contemporaries: Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, TS Eliot and Ferdinand Celine. A member of the Socialist Party in his youth, Miller predicted WWII on page 9 of his first bestseller “Cancer in the Tropics” as well as in his “Open Letter to Surrealists.” And he adored Jews, from his first wife, Mona, to almost all his close friends in the Paris years.
His misogyny and antisemitism were a satirical theme he liked to pursue simply because it drove the squares insane and, when he was coming up in the 1920s, liberalism had finally freed women and Jews, making them legitimate subjects of inquiry, including satire.
Some other research informing this thesis can be found here:
"My Half Century With Islam: Its Loving Sufis, Four Secrets and the Monotheist Wars" (12/2024)
"Did Arabs and Jews Like Each Other in 1948?" (11/2023)
"Meet the Kids of Maidan: My Journey into Ukraine’s Democratic Revolution" (1/2023)
"Why Arab Liberals Support Israel" (1/2024)
"Mohamed Diab: Feminist, Sufi & Blockbuster Egyptian Director" (10/2014)
Posted on May 17, 2026 - 07:24 PM
by Doniphan Blair
Doniphan Blair revealed his new thesis 'The Liberal Way of War', during his fourth presentation at the Henry Miller Memorial Library Big Sur, California. photo: D. Blair 'The Liberal Way of War' was first presented as a lecture at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, in Big Sur, California, on July 27, 2025, see the video here.
It summarizes Blair's four decades studying war, notably the ancient sage of strategy, Sun Tzu, and how his philosophy applies to the current conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. He also researched World War Two, notably his mother’s experiences in the Holocaust, leading to this essay and theory about evolution, "Darwin and Love: What I Learned Making a Holocaust Movie".
Sun Tzu, of 6th century BCE China, remains the premier theorist of war, despite stiff competition from the 16th century Italian, Machiavelli, and 19th century German, Clausewitz. illo: ancient Chinese artist #1) Be tolerant, #2) Negotiate from the start, #3) Absorb the first blows, #4) Study the situation, #5) Build moral legitimacy, allies, strategy, equipment and communication, #6) Enact advanced military tactics, #7) Fight humanely but to win, #8) Help reformed enemies.
Sun Tzu’s Art of War
Sun Tzu, 6th century BCE, China, starts with: “The art of war is of vital importance to the State… a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin,” which must be studied assiduously.
He divides the discipline into five parts: (#1) “Moral Law,” which refers to the society’s ruler having elevated values that subjects respect enough to fight for, (#2) “Heaven,” meaning time, weather and season, (#3) “Earth,” meaning terrain, distance and supplies, (#4) “The Commander,” who requires wisdom and courage, and (#5) “Method and Discipline,” the organization of armies so they operate efficiently. (This balances the elusive nurture-nature controversy, with nurture represented in the first, fourth and fifth part, and nature in two and three.)
In the first section he notes, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we attack, we must seem unable… when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away.” In specific tactical terms, Master Tzu's best trick is: “Hold out bait to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him,” Lionel Giles’s translation, which I paraphrase as, “Bait the enemy with the straight move; beat them with the freak move.” Fans of that philosophy, the Mongolians would attack with a small force, pretend to be routed and retreat back to where a larger force was hidden.
After covering field tactics, Master Tzu’s third section is strategic analysis, which he starts with, “(T)o fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
While neither Germany nor Japan produced four engine bombers, the US was eventually producing one B-24 Super Fortress bomber every hour, which may have triggered some regret among the fascists. illustration: D. Blair Humanitarian war fighting or the Liberal Way of War must be coupled with “The Trolley Problem,” identified by British philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967. It postulates if there is a runaway trolley headed towards five people but the conductor could switch it to a side track, killing one person later, what should they do? There is also the surgeon who must attack the patient to save them. It still follows Clausewitz’s thesis that the shorter war is more humane. Hence, bring the full force of arms as soon as possible so rational actors can understand the obvious outcome.
Unfortunately, war is the product of immature, wishful thinkers, often on both sides, who ignore the evidence that fascists will traditionally attack neighbors or foes. In fact, this survival-of-the-fittest contest dates back to Cain killing Abel. Unfortunately, most people, as well as most fascists, have not read Darwin’s second book, “The Descent of Man Through Selection by Sex”, which proves that sexual selection and reproduction and other forms of cooperation are just as important to survival as natural selection.
The Harsh Reality of War Eventually Forces Mature Rationalism
(and the sacrifice of the dream ideal for the functional reality)
If we have to fight, Master Tzu advises: (#1) “The highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans,” i.e. attack their strategy. (#2) “The next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces”, attack their alliances. (#3) “The next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field,” attack their armies. (#4) “And the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities,” attacking their people.
By assiduously following Master Tzu, the tolerant, loving and liberal can prevail, as they always do, albeit sometimes after long periods of horror.
Urged to go ahead by Laura Loomer, the 'Secretary of Conspiracy Theories,' Trump flip-flopped multiple times before bombing Iran on June 22, 2025, although he did maintain some Liberal Way of War practices, like giving warnings and continuing negotiations. illustration: D. Blair 1. Trumpian Governance Through Conspiracy Theories
Although this is the opposite of Master Tzu’s ethics, strategy and leadership, it does provide a cracked, pseudo-democratic mechanism for inspiring followers and gauging their interests, by proselytizing conspiracy theories, researching which ones are popular, and following populist sentiment.
Trump flip-flopped on America’s bombing of Iran on June 22nd (2025), the first strike after 45 years of Iranian animosity, but he abides some of the Liberal Way of War, even though conspiracy theories are inherently fascist. He claims to be opposed to war, he gave ample warnings, and he continued negotiations.
2. Israel Abides the Liberal Way of War
Aside from the Deir Yassin massacre—4/9/1948, 107 killed—Israel fights much more humanely than its opponents, in keeping with monotheistic precepts of justice and that one God would create all humans equal. This is evident in their providing warnings to civilians, not targeting them or giving medical care. (For example,) Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar received cancer treatment in an Israeli jail.
Israel refrained from, or was restrained by its allies, from imposing the full bitterness of defeat on its enemies. And it gradually made Arabs full citizens, notably the Druze who have served in the Israel Defense Force since 1956.
Conversely, Israel endured many decades of attacks, three large wars and two (prolonged( terror campaigns, the Intifadas, 1987-93 and 2000-05. The earlier attacks and wars were directed by feudal lords, often using mercenaries, and authoritarian rulers. But the Intifadas were by the Palestinians, who were forced (by their cousins and co-religionists) to take on the antizionist duties.
In point of fact, upper-class and working-class liberal Arabs welcomed Jewish immigrants and the vast improvements in economy and services, which attracted Arab immigration to Israel, while Jewish labor activists insured they were properly paid. (See "Behind the Silken Curtain", Bartley Crum, 1947.)
The presentation accepted interruptions—this man said 'Free Palestine' and supported a one, non-Jewish state. photo: D. Blair There were almost ten land-for-peace deals, but only one was accepted, peace with Egypt in 1979, which was pioneered by the brilliant Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, a fascist turned liberal. Under the pressure of almost a century of unrelenting violence, however, Israelis turned the other way, , climaxing on 10/7, the worst pogrom since the Holocauast.
Originally one of the most liberal populations worldwide—quite socialist, in fact, with full medical and education and many cooperatives kibbutzes—Israelis naturally turned right. Hence, the enormous Peace Now marches, attended by a seventh of the country, and the Oslo Peace Accords of the 1990s gave way to the increasingly conservative Netanyahu. (This trend was finalized with) Arafat refusing Clinton’s generous land-for-peace deal, 96% of the West Bank plus 4% anywhere else in Israel, and the Second Intifada.
Instead of the stones of the First Intifada, it featured 125 suicide bombings, killing hundreds and maiming and traumatizing amny more. Twenty years later, 10/7 spoke an even more extreme language of war by enacting every imaginable violation (of humanity) save cannibalism. This signaled Hamas’s determination to fight to the death, a challenge for even the most liberal warrior, who must satisfy their base by abiding the Liberal Way of War, while proving to fascists they have the guts to prosecute such a dirty war, which is another form of horse shoe politics.
Blair responded politely to protestors but limited them to a couple of minutes. photo: D. Blair Although Israel suffered severe losses in their War of Independence, the War of 1948,—almost one percent of the population—casualties in the Arab-Israeli conflict were a rounding error compared to the other wars of the 1940s and many since.
Before 10/7, over a century of conflict, which started with the gruesome Hebron massacre, 68 Jews, 1929, there were less than 150,000 deaths, total, both sides. Although the conflict appeared more murderous, due to the symbolic nature of the struggle, such a low level of killing, left a large reservoir of immaturity and irrationalism among those untutored by the brutal reality of total war.
Gaza is grotesque tragedy, additionally exaggerated by the symbolism of the Middle East, but the approximately half civilians to half fighters causualty rate, is much better than the nine to one of the American-Iraqi fight against the Islamo-fascist ISIS in Mosul 2004. Add to Mosul the biggest bunker in history, with the 300 miles of tunnels, and Hamas’s citizens-as-human-shield strategy, and you have history’s most difficult battle space.
4. Irrational War is Based On Conspiracy Theories
#1 Authoritarian and religious regimes depend on scapegoating and conspiracy theories to deflect from their poor governance, and manipulate their citizens.
#2 Since Jews lived throughout the Middle East for millennia, and were considered second class citizens, they made the perfect scapegoat, able to unify diverse groups, in the Middle East just as in Nazi Germany. “Antisemitism is the socialism of fools,” as the saying goes, but so is extreme nationalism and Islamism. The parent organization of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, started in Egypt, 1928, borrowed fascist ideas, uniforms and rallies, while others became actual Nazis.
#3 The Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, appointed by a Jewish-English colonial officer, led the Arab Uprising of 1936, murdered many Arab liberals, and spent 1942-44 in Berlin, encouraging Muslims to join the Nazis and the Nazis to bring the Holocaust to Palestine. To create a more powerful death cult than the Nazis, Hamas used Islam’s metaphors about heavenly sex and the suicide attack strategy started by Persian Assassins in 12th century.
While Tel Aviv has the biggest Pride Parade outside of the US (clandestinely attended by Gazan gays) and Hamas is notorious for killing gays, some radical gays feel it would be worth the sacrifice. photo: courtesy Quillette Although the Soviet Union voted in 1948 for Israel, and it was a leading socialist state supported by the Left, Israel became a symbol of western imperialism after the 1967 Six Day War, when the United States switched to backing it.
Since then, liberals and leftists shifted their allegiance from the nationalism of Nasser and the socialism Arafat to the Islamo-fascism of Hamas. Although the United Nations was a foundational liberal institution, designed to end war, it was coopted into a grievance forum, obsessed with sanctioning Israel, which took up almost half of its business.
Hence, the UN refugee agency, which settled tens of millions of refugees from 1945 to 1955, established a second entity for Palestinians, which did the opposite: kept them in refugee camps and blocked the from becoming citizens of Egypt, Lebanon, etc. Moreover, UN funds were used to indoctrinate Palestinians into Hamas’s death cult, accumulate its war material, and make some of its leaders billionaires.
Leftists have long been attracted to Islamists and vice versa, despite the tragedy of the Iranian revolution, where the leftists were soon eliminated, because both have a totalist world view and charity for the poor.
Indeed, the hundreds of antiZionist demonstrations worldwide since 10/7—with the horse shoe politics of leftists joining with Islamo-fascists and neo-Nazis—provides the popular support that drives Hamas’s to-the-death struggle. They hope their martyrdom also drives the next antiZionist total war.
Not only do Islamo-fascists “Love death as much as liberals love life,” they believe in illiberal childhoods, replete with harsh discipline and authoritarian societies, which represses and traumatizes their people, especially women, gays and artists. But that makes them more macho, forcing them to bond with their fathers or tyrants in a type of Stockholm or repressed father hatred syndrome.
This is well explained by Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas leader, in his books, movies and current pro-Israeli speaking tours. Raped as a youth, Yousef worked for Hamas until he rejected their irrationality and brutality when he was in an Israeli prison. After becoming an Israeli spy, he stopped dozens of suicide bombings during the Second Intifada and became liberal democrat and yoga teacher.
Simon Woodiwiss enjoys a cup of tea on duty with the International Air Defenders protecting Kyiv, see article. photo: S. WoodiwissRegardless of what you think of Zelensky or Netanyahu, Ukraine and Israel are liberal democracies attacked by fascist entities determined to eliminate them. Hence, Middle Eastern and Eastern European liberal democrats support Ukraine and Israel, tacitly or overtly, including a new wave of Arab Zionists and even some Gazans.
Imagine the tragedy of suffering through the Israel-Gaza War only to have some Hamas emerge from the tunnels, claim victory, retake Gaza, as well as the leadership of the radical Arab-Iranian imagination, and repeat the process in a few years.
The Middle East had a strong feminist and art movement, the Partisans of the Nude, started in the 1930s, but that was ended by fascism and Islamism. Indeed, many liberals are reluctant to express their beliefs knowing that the fascists are still in power and will oppress them. With each success of liberal democracy, however, more will emerge.
7. Liberals Are Inevitably Attacked by Fascists But Equally Inevitably Win
Over time, any given liberal democracy will eventually be attacked by fascists, from within as well as without, because fascists believe liberals and democracies are weak, decadent and an easy mark.
As the North proved in the Civil War, the Allies in World War Two, and Ukraine today, the Liberal Way of War is effective, innovative and inspiring, if slow. It takes trusting and optimistic liberals a long time to recognize a threat, discover a functional strategy, invent the appropriate equipment, and go into overdrive.
When they do, however, liberals abide Master Tzu’s Art of War in choosing a path with morality and rationalism, which inspires enthusiasm, creativity, bravery and hard work. Although it may take years, decades or centuries, liberal societies, the offspring of Abel, always beat the fascists, the children of Cain. If they didn’t, we’d still be in caves under the thumbs of bullies.
8. Conspiracy Theories Eventually Lead to Genocide
A conspiracy theory is a false narrative that provides real emotional benefit and a psychological shield from Repressed Father Hatred Syndrome. Indeed, false narratives are part of religion, theatre, fantasy roleplaying, and undercover police work (where they are acknowledged as imaginary) but also fascism. Fascists often claim a conspiracy theory is true and incorporate it into their political platform, leading to the need to kill the physical representation of the truth.
When the Nazis based their program on “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, the Russian secret police forgery about Jewish world domination, they automatically needed a genocide to redeem their false narrative.
Given the current rightwing American obsession with conspiracy theories, from the “Stolen 2020 Election” to Epstein or Gabbard’s claim elites are building bunkers for World War Three, such an outcome in America suddenly seems possible. It is offset, however, by Trump’s lack of focus, tendency to flip-flop or TACO, Trump Always Chickens Out, and scapegoating of immigrants.
9. Arab and Muslim Zionists Will Save the Middle East
Rational Middle Easterners recognize that Palestinianism, which claims the ancient Jewish heritage is a hoax and they were the original people of the land, is a conspiracy theory.
Inspired by the Arab Spring, studying liberal democracy at school, social media and supportive fathers, Arab liberals from Dahlia Zadia, the Egyptian democracy activist and think tanker, to Luai Ahmed, the Yemini-Swedish journalist, queer and activist, and the great podcaster Yasmine Muhammad, Canadian-Egyptian-Gazan, are becoming increasingly enthusiastic Zionists. Some are moving to Israel and a few converting to Judaism, notably the Syrian-Lebanese-French woman Rawan Osman.
Now that the IDF decapitated Hezbollah in Lebanon, which helped the overthrow the murderous Assad Regime in Syria—600,000 killed in 13 years of civil war—more Arab Zionists will emerge. Given there are also many Iranian Zionists, they will help foster the acceptance of Israel and lead the slow but inevitable democratic development of the Middle East.
10. Unresolved Syria and the Greek Tragedy of Gaza
With the Druze being massacred in Southern Syria, Syrian clerics issuing “fatwas,” religious edicts, allowing the capture of Druze women as sex slaves, and Israel intervention, from bombing Damascus’s Ministry of War to allowing Israeli Druze to help their cousins, the future of Syria is uncertain under President al-Julani, originally al-Sharaa.
Moreover, Hamas determination to fight to the death, use Gazans as human shields and steal their supplies, as well as problems with Israeli food distribution and some trigger-happy IDF conscripts, is making Hamas’s “Sado-Masochist Pseudo-Revolutionary Suicide” ever more grotesque. Notably, the UN preventing 950 trucks from entering because they don’t want to collaborate with Israel. Some good Samaritans try to get Egypt to open is blockade of Gaza and have started airlifts.
Meanwhile, France, Ireland and others are providing symbolic support for Palestinianism, while Trump, India and others are opposing it, and whether Islamo-fascism will live to fight another day is undecided. If it does, it will undoubtedly rebuild and, in a few years, attempt another annihilationist attack, perhaps with a nuclear weapon.
11. Ukraine in the Third Year of a Ten Year War of Attrition
The situation in Ukraine is grim, with massively increased Russian bombardment, Trumpian disinterest, and the recent embroglio over Zelensky’s conflicts with Ukraine’s anti-corruption organizations. Many of my Ukrainian friends are depressed, although the ones joining the army remain enthusiastic. Nevertheless, the Ukrainians are innovating and working hard, producing millions of drones and attacking deep into Russia, including the strategic trick of trucking in cargo containers full drones, which destroyed much of Russia’s strategic bombers, and would have made Master Tzu very proud.
They are also annihilating up a 1000 Russians daily. The Russian economy could also collapse, if secondary sanctions on their oil was enforced. While Poland, Finland and now Gemany is vigorously supporting Ukraine, there are virtually no Ukrainian flags in the United States, meaning that if the Left supported a democratic Ukraine, it could turn the tide.
12. War Is Forced Maturation
In a development similar to Dostoevsky’s condemned man having incredible insights while approaching the gallows, the irresponsible and immature man and woman will eventually become rational and responsible due to the punishing hard-knocks education of war.
13. If Israel Wins the 7-Front War of 10/7
The victory of a liberal democratic entity in the Middle East, even if limited to the tiny territory of Israel, will free up those fearing for their lives or suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or Repressed Father Hatred Syndrome, to speak and act freely, spurring liberal democratic developments.
After the pager/walkie-talkie Attack, which decapitated Hezbollah in September 2024—and would have overjoyed Master Tzu—Lebanon has had promising political developments. The election of a new government, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, in early 2025, may end a long period of dysfunction and domination by Islamo-fascists and help their severe economic crisis. (Empowered by Israeli attacks, a rebel alliance seized Damascus causing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia on December 8, 2024, although they haven't instituted a democracy.)
14. Toxic Men are Fascist
The dysfunctional macho patriarchy inevitably goes fascist. Nevertheless, the brutal physical education of actual war or the intellectual study of Master Tzu’s art, can lead the childish irresponsible man to become a responsible adult and make peace and balance, as I show in the conclusion to “What I Learned Making a Holocaust Movie: Darwin and Love”, the last chapter of my mother Tonia R. Blair’s book about the Holocaust, “Love at the End of the World” Stories of War, Romance and Redemption” (available on Amazon).
15. What Would Henry Miller Think?
(Bonus point because the presentation was at the Henry Miller Library.)
Although Henry Miller fled WWII in early 1939 and settled as far away as possible, in Big Sur, California, and eschewed politics, his dedication to free speech, liberal sex and avant-garde ideas makes him a poster boy for liberal democracy.
Indeed, he never voiced support for fascists as did his literary contemporaries: Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, TS Eliot and Ferdinand Celine. A member of the Socialist Party in his youth, Miller predicted WWII on page 9 of his first bestseller “Cancer in the Tropics” as well as in his “Open Letter to Surrealists.” And he adored Jews, from his first wife, Mona, to almost all his close friends in the Paris years.
His misogyny and antisemitism were a satirical theme he liked to pursue simply because it drove the squares insane and, when he was coming up in the 1920s, liberalism had finally freed women and Jews, making them legitimate subjects of inquiry, including satire.
Some other research informing this thesis can be found here:
"My Half Century With Islam: Its Loving Sufis, Four Secrets and the Monotheist Wars" (12/2024)
"Did Arabs and Jews Like Each Other in 1948?" (11/2023)
"Meet the Kids of Maidan: My Journey into Ukraine’s Democratic Revolution" (1/2023)
"Why Arab Liberals Support Israel" (1/2024)
"Mohamed Diab: Feminist, Sufi & Blockbuster Egyptian Director" (10/2014)
Posted on May 17, 2026 - 07:24 PM
