Shimon Tzabar
The White Flag Principle
How to Lose a War (and Why)

War can be a bummer. Pricey, bloody … On the other hand: it has its bright side. Particularly if you lose. Look at the figures. Shimon Tzabar did, and he comes up with the rather startling observation that winning is … losing, and losing is … winning. This crystal-clear inversion of such classics as Sun Tzu's The Art of War will aid the interested reader in finding the facts on why often — almost always, in major conflicts throughout history — victory is not all it's cracked up to be. But Tzabar gives practical advice as well: step-by step information on how to surrender, and what to do if you feel like you're in danger of winning.

Among the questions Tzabar answers with sagacity and wit are:
• how to ruin a flourishing economy;
• how to manage a bumbling foreign policy;
• how to lower a nation's morale;
• how to train an army to lose;
what is the precise ratio of arm-to-shoulder that signifies surrender;
and
• what to do if your forces possess overwhelming superiority. Special bonus: 32 ways of enjoying yourself at a detention camp, and defending yourself on charges of war crimes. Profusely illustrated with maps and explanatory drawings (how to march backwards, etc.). The White Flag Principle was originally published in the immediate aftermath of the Vietnam War. This edition has been updated to include information on the latest international conflicts, and confirms the timelessness of the White Flag Principle.

Born in 1926 in Tel Aviv, Shimon Tzabar describes himself as a former "member of all three terrorist organizations (Lehi [the Stern Gang], Etzel, and Haganah [Palmach]) that fought the British who ruled Palestine at the time." With the establishment of Israel, he was involved in the first three wars: 1948-50, 1956, and 1967. A columnist for a number of years for both the daily Ha'aretz and in the weekly Ha'olam Haze, he has published 27 books in Hebrew, including works of fiction, travel, children's books, drama, and poetry. He is an amateur mycologist, specializing in the difficult species Inocybe and Cortinarius. He lives in London.