In a Street Fight, Nothing to Lose Is a Critical Advantage
It’s good advice from parents or friends that, if you’re confronted on the street by a robber, the first loss is the least loss. Whether he has a gun, a knife, or only the distant look of a guy on drugs, you’re not likely to win this one. Hand over what needs to be handed over.
The parallel is obvious in both Palestine and Ukraine
Can an entire nation take on the persona of nothing to lose?
Absolutely.
From the moment Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “I don’t need a way out, I need ammunition,” the die was cast, and Ukraine proved it cannot be beaten. Overwhelmed, perhaps. Occupied, possibly, but only in the short term. A nation of 44 million, every one of whom detests its occupier, will sooner or later become too expensive to occupy.
The same is true of Israel’s mistaken genocide in Gaza. 1200 Israeli dead at the hands of a Hamas surprise attack is a horror. But 30,000 Palestinian deaths in what amounts to a genocide is a garantor of failure. Each Palestinian death will recruit 2-3 Hamas follower…