Unrestricted warfare
by Qiao Liang, Wang Xiangsui · first published 2002
38% recommend63% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Lays out how a non-military, multi-domain conflict could be waged, offering a window into Chinese strategic thinking on finance, information, and technology. Written for readers of modern competition.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Translated from the Original Chinese Documents Publisher Provided Annotation. As incredible as it may be to believe, three years before the September 11 bombing of the World Trade Center-a Chinese military manual called Unrestricted Warfare touted such an attack-suggesting it would be difficult for the U.S. military to cope with. Now NewsMax.com is making the CIA translation of this shocking book available to all Americans. In reading China's military manual Unrestricted Warfare, you will learn that the events of September ll were not a random act perpetrated by independent agents. Instead, Ch
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In that case I'd recommend The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower [0] by Hudson Institute's China expert. and Unrestricted Warfare: China's Master Plan to Destroy America [1] These are rather hawkish but unfortunately also nailing the truth. [0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20696000-the-hundred-yea... [1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/855077.Unrestricted_Warf...
on “China’s assault on Cathay Pacific” ↗Unrestricted Warfare by Colonels Xiangsui and Liang is a must read. China's been on the path for quite a while.
on “Big AI sets out its terms for regulatory capture” ↗Yes. For more about the actual plan - I recommend looking into https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare - the Chinese plan to take over the world. The have recruited Russia in this effort (Russia doesn't mind getting their hands dirty - China likes to avoid physical wars, when possible see Sun Tzu - "The…
on “Ask HN: Is WWIII already in its early stages?” ↗Would encourage anyone pondering this to read the 1997 Chinese miltary document (in your preferred language) called Unrestricted Warfare [0]. China and Russia both internally perceive that the US won (or will continue to win) the technological direct confrontation arms race, so instead they view themselves as always at war in all ways…
on “As Understanding of Russian Hacking Grows, So Does Alarm” ↗The PLA has published brilliant books on how to beat America in a non-kinetic war but Americans in general don't like to read. As someone who thinks Unrestricted Warfare is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read, the idea most have not read this book in the US military is quite laughable. Imagine people having no issue with the Soviet Union delivering a free…
on “TikTok is now banned in Montana: here’s what you need to know” ↗This. I suggest to read Unrestricted Warfare to understand more on how TikTok (or FB, X, Instagram and such) can be used as tools in modern conflict.
on “TikTok goes dark in the US” ↗…blue-water Navy, which it continues to expand, with the stated goal of dethroning the US as the global hegemon? https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/china-ar... https://www.amazon.com/Unrestricted-Warfare-Chinas-Destroy-A... https://sg.news.yahoo.com/china-seeks-become-worlds-next-025... Because the CCP conducts influence operations globally? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49511231 https://uscnpm.org/2021/09/14/prc-overseas-influence-disaggr...
on “What Peng Shuai reveals about one-party rule” ↗…party is at war with another, and the other party does not realize it is at war, the party who knows it is at war almost always has the advantage and usually wins.” And this is the strategy set forth in Unrestricted Warfare: waging a war on an adversary with methods so covert at first and seemingly so benign that the party being attacked does not realize it’s being attacked." - Qiao Liang --- [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/u-s-officials-wor...…
on “Head of election worker management company arrested for theft of personal data” ↗…anywhere. While the Chinese internet is so tightly controlled and the US & co are attacked in Chinese state media on a daily basis, foreign countries let them move in this Trojan horse. There's a book called Unrestricted Warfare where the authors describe just this sort of weakness of the US to political/information warfare 20 years ago. It turns out they were spot on. ¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_warfares
on “TikTok Owner Had 'Backdoor' for CCP Access to US Data, Lawsuit Alleges” ↗Did somebody in Washington finally get around to reading Unrestricted Warfare?[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare
on “Tell Congress: Stop the TikTok Ban. Instead, Protect Our Data No Matter Who” ↗…clear and without doubt. They have said they would like to accomplish this through military means if necessary, but focusing on economic and technological means/"warfare" -- their term not mine (see "Unrestricted Warfare" by PLA Colonels Liang and Xiangsui written in 1999 on the 8 year anniversary of the Gulf War; https://www.c4i.org/unrestricted.pdf) In fact, the paper clearly argues for going to war with a more powerful…
on “Why It’s So Difficult – and Costly – To Secure Chips” ↗…laundering and chemicals [1]. Oldest modern reference I am aware of on the topic as it relates to China is a book on military strategy written in 1999 by two colonels in the People's Liberation Army titled Unrestricted Warfare.[2] __________________ [1] https://google.com/search?q=china+fentanyl [2] https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare
on “A Chinese American gangster transformed money laundering for drug cartels” ↗They do seem to have a policy of asymmetric warfare, for example turning a blind eye to the export of fentanyl. It's not exactly far fetched. See the book "Unrestricted Warfare" by 2 PLA colonels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare
on “TikTok is manipulative, addictive, and harmful to privacy” ↗Indeed. I was reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare and was a little surprised to come across Soros's pound raid as a prominent example of what the Chinese authors meant by the concept.
on “How Soros Broke the Pound” ↗Fwiw the Wikipedia page for this book includes an external link to the full text at Citeseer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare#External_...
on “Addressing the threat from investments that finance CCP military (2020)” ↗