When defence is the best form of attack

Protest fever is rising; so is the attempt to bring it down at any cost. There may be various reasons for this rising temperature, but measures to manage it are limited - a few dos and don'ts, and some steps on the ground. Captain Machchhar's fight back is a reminder that victory is not attained through attack alone. It's merely one of the mechanisms available to mankind. What truly counts is 'one last push'.

History is replete with stories about attackers who were decisively defeated by strong defensive techniques - Patton Nagar is a prime example of this. For those who don't know about Patton Nagar, they can do some research on Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid PVC. Yet, America has strangely decided not to educate itself. With Trump at the helm, it appears even less achievable. After bombing Iran and failing to subdue it, the US has pulled out of Iraq. And the Don is hailing the exit. Can you beat that? Is the Don preparing for a similar pattern in Iran: Declare victory and fly away? Americans are particularly good at that. Remember Afghanistan?

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The protest fever gripped the UNGA too when Bibi started addressing the assembly in New York. Since he couldn't do much else there, he limited himself to verbal volleys. Given his reputation, Bibi should have done more. After completing his speech, he could have at least staged a dharna at the podium and demonstrated against the protesters. He might have used banners and slogans to make his point. But it seems that Bibi was caught off guard. He either received no warning or lacked 'actionable intelligence'.

Bibi's experience shows that planning is crucial, even for protests, as unplanned events may fail to achieve the desired results.