BOOKS & MORE: Siegen! Or not

There is a lot changing in the Western world. Especially power: In military conflicts, victory has strategic, organizational, economic, and ultimately mental reasons. Essential are the will to self-assertion and willingness to sacrifice, which determine victory and defeat. And as military historian Martin van Creveld has already shown, today the fighters against the West are more willing to sacrifice.

What could be the cause of this? This book tries to explore that. The devastations of the 20th century, especially the Second World War, have changed the Western world. A deep suspicion towards any form of self-assertion is as common as a negative attitude towards masculine values. The distinction between friend and foe, between our own and the foreign, has now been completely discredited. At the same time, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism has unleashed a destructive dynamic that has long reached us. Only when the ability to "win" is regained and confidence is gained in what needs to be defended, can the foreseeable global challenges be overcome. But it is suspected that the prevailing moral asymmetry marks the mental limit of self-assertion.

Overall, a theory-heavy book that raises exciting and controversial questions about military and war. Plenty of material to discuss...

“Siegen: oder vom Verlust der Selbstbehauptung (Die Werkreihe von Tumult)“ by Parviz Amoghli and Alexander Meschnig, Werkreihe Tumult, Manuscriptum Verlagsbuchhandlung, Berlin 2018, 178 pages, 18.90 Euros.