you are here: > Articles of War > Article 83 
 
12. Constraints
  
  Article 83-Ideology  
83.1 Ideology  
  Of all the constraints facing a military force in battle, ideology is potentially the most extraordinary and dangerous.  
  On the one hand, a soldier who is a passionate believer in a particular ideology can be inspired as a great warrior and possess the strength of ten men. On the other hand, zealous warriors facing the cold reality of advanced weapon systems are mere cannon fodder.  
83.2 The practical constraint of ideology  
  Generally speaking, ideology is a practical and real constraint to victory in modern warfare, principally because it restricts ones ability to observe impartially the dynamic nature of war.  
  For example, ideologically driven soldiers may choose to give up their lives in suicide terrorist acts in the belief of their cause, only to miss the effect it has in emboldening and unifying their enemy and the people- actually making the enemy stronger, not weaker.  
  Ideology blinds a general and his troops to those changes of events in war. That is why all ideologically driven military forces can and usually are defeated in war. A soldier who cares nothing for throwing away his life misses the point of tactics and positioning in battle. Whereas a soldier who values his or her life but is willing to risk it for the sake of holding a position is more likely to succeed in winning and holding the key points of battle.  
  Finally, ideology once analysed and understood by the enemy makes a force predictable, a usually fatal flaw in the art of war and deception. A predictable enemy can always be defeated eventually.  
     
 
 
Copyright © 2010 Modern-Warfare.org. All rights reserved.