General James Mattis led U.S. Marine Corps into war in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004 where he earned the nickname, “Mad Dog.” During the battle, members of the U.S. Marine Corps shot at ambulances and aid workers following General Mattis’ command. The Marine Corps cordoned off the city to prevent civilians from escaping and would pose for trophy pictures with individuals they murdered (Glantz, 2017). By the conclusion of the battle, U.S. Marine Corps had killed so many civilians to an extent that the municipal stadium had to be converted into a graveyard. Since then, Mattis has constantly protected U.S. Marine Corps who murdered many civilians, which has resulted in the lack of accountability for these killings.

General Mattis’ command for U.S. Marine Corps to kill civilians and shoot at aid workers and ambulances contrasted the wisdom of Sun Tzu on attacking by stratagem. In the book, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Tzu stated that the most suitable thing in the practical art of war to capture an enemy’s country is to do so while it’s whole and intact (Giles, 1910). Therefore, shattering and destroying an enemy’s country is not good since it’s better to capture an entire army rather than destroy it. Based on this axiom, General James Mattis failed in the art of war since his actions for capturing Fallujah were centered on destroying the city and permitting mass murder of civilians. General Mattis was not a skillful leader since skillful leaders/commanders subdue the enemy’s troops without any fighting or capture cities without laying siege.

The outcome of General Mattis’ actions was disproportionate casualties during the military operations and laying siege of the city. This was primarily because General Mattis did not attack by stratagem, but instead focused on fighting the enemy, killing civilians, and preventing them from leaving the city. The outcome contrasted attack by stratagem, which results in capturing an enemy’s territory without lengthy field operations.

References

Giles, L. (1910). The art of war by Sun Tzu. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://www.suntzusaid.com

Glantz, A. (2017, January 11). Did Defense Secretary Nominee James Mattis Commit War Crimes in Iraq? Reveal News. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from https://www.revealnews.org/article/did-defense-secretary-nominee-james-mattis-commit-war-crimes-in-iraq/