In the distant roaring cold hills of Afghanistan, the Middle East continues to see armed conflict, continuing the thousand year cycle of the region. Reminiscent back to the Christian response to Muslim Jihad and the motive to evangelize, the Middle East has become a proving ground for a new generation of crusaders. ISIL and remnants of Al’Queda have sought to fulfill a Jihad in order to curve western aggression. This has been matched by the continuous U.S. and allied campaigns in the region, but many nationals are traveling independently of any military industrial complex or support to wage a war on the Jihadists. Duke recognizes the global contingent of fighters who have come together in order to hopefully achieve a goal their governments have failed to achieve, eradicating Islamic Terror. These militants leave the comfort of their homes and apartments in places such as New York City or London in order to travel to Afghanistan and take up arms against radical Islamic terror. Jordan Matson, a former U.S. Army infantry soldier, and evangelical Christian, reiterated a call to action from his governments inaction, “I decided that if my government wasn’t going to do anything to help this country, especially Kurdish people who stood by us for 10 years and helped us out while we were in this country, then I was going to do something.” Duke goes on to describe this new civilian dominated warfare sector as the 21st century Crusade, which pins evangelical and Catholic civilians against the Islamic forces trying to capture Muslim territory. This begs the question about Duke’s characterization to determine if ‘Crusade’ might be a misrepresentation previous events in Crusaded over. I would argue that it is a mischaracterization. When we examine the underpinnings of the first crusade, Pope Urban II used his divine position to create a call to action which was officially sanctioned by the Church as well as many European counties in an effort to adhere to the divine authority of the Papacy. In this situation, no leader from nay religion has established a call to action against Islamic aggression and a small contingent of self-described crusaders rather than a united Christian front. Pope Francis, the current Papal authority in the Catholic Church has refined the doctrine of how Christians need to respond to Islamic terrorism by saying, “If we wish to fight terrorism, we must resist the temptation to become terrorists ourselves.” The implication that any member of the Church is taking up arms against Islamic insurgents is directly against the ruling of the current Papacy. Instead of describing this fight as a Crusade, I would use the term War on Terror in the hope to protect innocent civilians and promote peace through the abolishment of individuals who use fear to divide citizens.

Word count-457

https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/20163-modern-crusaders-fighting-isis

The constant volley between war and peace has left many people wondering how to achieve success over an enemy. Sun Tzu understood that there was a strategy behind warfare and wrote down his observations in the Art of War. The beauty of his work is that his ancient strategies have held constant even in the evolving challenges of modern war. The unconventional tactics first recognized 1500 years ago amazingly still work today. At the Naval Academy, we are being trained to see vulnerabilities in order to achieve success for America as military officers. As we learn the techniques behind achieving reliable information, making good decisions, and becoming leaders who inspire others, the Art of War ironically mirrors the Naval Academy leadership preparation framework.
As we undergo only four years of learning at the Naval Academy, we are all stuck with an inevitability, knowledge is power in everything from academics to the hall leadership opportunities. Those with good information succeed. Tzu echoes this in the Art of War again and again; knowledge wins wars. “Unless you are kept informed of the enemy’s condition, and are ready to strike at the right moment. A war may drag on for years.” If you know your enemy you know what your goal is which allows you to plan against it. This takes place daily at the Naval Academy, from getting the information to select a good teacher to learn about what a study abroad program is looking for, that information allows you to achieve success. For many service selection communities, there is a lot of training required in order to compete well in screenings to achieve that service selection. Only by talking to people can you understand that you need to do lifts that improve muscular endurance/ stabilizer muscles and need to use a four-pronged attack to train for success. Information is a very effective way to plan against a particular goal at the Naval Academy and in ancient Chinese warfare 1500 years ago.
When Tzu wrote down his observations, email and constant communication and overflow we not just a thing of the future, they were imaginable. As we continue our journey throughout the Naval Academy, the information age isn’t just the online capacity it’s the assumptions of other people from face to face interactions and social media profiles for midshipmen peer ranking. As Tzu says, great leaders don’t just gather information, they actively exploit and manipulate the assumptions of the other side. While I don’t particularly like the idea of manipulating the opinion of others for personal gain, the system of the Naval Academy requires just that to succeed. Tzu emphasizes, “Hence when able to attack we must seem unable, when using our forces we must seem inactive.” This happens to be taught naturally at the academy when students need to demonstrate knowledge and mastery on academic material when they might not have that mastery on an exam. Maybe I am doing that technique right now to show the intricate dynamic in the Art of War philosophy when I’m just trying to go to bed, the world may never know, and if I did my job correctly according to Tzu you would never know. Did I fool you or
As the world of warfare becomes ever more complex, the Art of war remains a constant basic guide to follow, especially in our Naval Academy education.

An inevitability has shadowed every civilization’s leader throughout history in a cycle that repeats itself in a pattern as true as the sun setting; eventually, there must be someone to take their power and carry on the leadership of a nation. Phillip II recognized this natural inevitability and groomed Alexander “the great” to step into the power role as King of Macedon. Alexander ignored this cycle preparation and when the regime change was initiated by his early death, the empire, spanning from Western Europe to eastern Asia, underwent a drastic regime change placated with uncertainty. Similarly, as every four years, a new President is sworn into office in the United States, the struggle of the transition of power plays out on a global stage just as the change after Alexander redefined the world they lived in.
When Alexander died an heir needed to be named by the Babylon council that could utilize Alexander’s legacy to lead effectively. Since there was no designated successor there was a degree of uncertainty about the future of the empire that was unprecedented in Macedon. Similarly, when a new regime takes over the Presidency, there exists a degree of uncertainty about the leader taking over from another political party as a result of the new policy vision. Power shifts in the Presidential respect are stark contrasts of each other typically, resulting in clashing in political philosophies with their new power. In ancient Macedon, the new ruler could shift slightly on policy issues from the predecessor, but a majority of their outlook was already shaped though by their appointer, resulting in a form of stability.
Even though the modern Presidency is determined by votes, the sitting President can sway voters to vote a certain way, promoting his/her legacy, just as Ancient Macedonians made sure an heir would continue their legacy. The difference lies in the fact that the power shift is determined by the voters in America rather than the committee to fill the open vacuum created by Alexander’s Death. The authority to lead granted by the people is in stark contrast to the political heir policy of ancient times. As modern nation-states undergo shifts in power, it is imperative that everyone understands that uncertainty from the lack of a clear plan to build on the previous ruler’s progress is harmful a nation. In order to maintain stability, current leaders should seek to find an heir that can continue to build on their work during their tenure. The President should understand that not having a successor elected that won’t build upon their work is detrimental to the smooth transition of power.

Democracy has been an ideal chased through eras, but captured by very few. It all started the same way, across generations, across eras, across history. In someone’s heart, at some time, they fulfilled an innate yearning for a better way to represent the country through democracy. While the rules of the system deviate, the ideas behind the system remain constant. When people look for shining examples of democracy, they look at two places; America and Athens, but the two political systems may not be as familial as we think. The most striking contrast manifests itself in the interactive exclusivity of Athenian Democracy compared to the American system.
The most exclusive club in the world might elicit the Forbes Billionaire list in modern times, but in the ancient Greek world, it was the honor of being a full-fledged Athenian citizen. Women, slaves, children, aliens, medics, warfighters, and for a period of time only those with both parental figures having the coveted Athenian citizenship, could not even be considered for citizenship. Once the exclusive status was achieved, not being engaged would characterize you as an, “Idiot.” As Thucydides famously said, “We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.” Once entrance is gained, there are membership requirements that extend beyond the normal facets of American democracy.
This was contrasted from the very beginnings of the American democracy rooted in “all men are created equal, … , unalienable rights.” The American system replaced that exclusivity with opportunity. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 37 million people today were not United States Citizens at birth. The United States is not an exclusivity club, but is more of a welcoming club than that of ancient Greece. That is coupled with the rights of the American Citizen being granted to women, slaves, and every legal citizen. Even enemy combatants and foreign nationals are treated according to that code. American democracy does not discriminate, so even as we wage wars on the other side of the globe, the rules of engagement ground American Force in the principles they are fighting for. In contrast to Athenian Democracy, American’s, while encouraged, are not forced to participate in the political process. In fact, only 61.4% of Americans eligible to vote, actually vote in national elections according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A figure that would have resulted in mass political uprisings in the ancient world.
As the great experiment of democracy continues to journey forward, the exclusivity of Athenian Democracy is not in place in American democracy. As democracy continues to rage across generations, across eras, across the rest of history, the memory of the mistake of the Athenians will forever be etched in our memories.