The Art of Strategic Power

Regardless of the competitive settings, the strategic principle for applying strategic power (advantage) is the same.

In warfare, "strategic power" refers to the exploitation of strategic advantage through power. Whenever the enemies are in a situation where they can be vanquished and destroyed, you should follow it up and press and attack on them, for then their army will certainly crumble. A tactical principle from the Three Strategies states: "Rely on strategic power to destroy them."

- One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies

"Instead of “the hammer,” in the words of John O. Brennan, President Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, America will rely on the “scalpel.”

When the favored (with the strategical lead within a predictable setting), has the option to use a precision tool to extract the opposition. ... In chaotic settings, one usually use the blunt instrument in order to catch up.

Following are three general questions that successful strategists have always asked:

• Are my settings are predictable or unpredictable?
• Who is ahead and who is behind?
• Should I advance or retreat?

Those who are positionally competing in an intensive competition, should remember the following quote from Questions and Replies between T'ang T'ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung.

"According to Fan Li's book, 'If you're last use yin tactics, if you're first then use yang tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy's yang tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy's tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy measures, then expand your yin to the full and seize them.' This then is the subtle mysteriousness of yin and yang according to the strategists."