http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/4484/joshua-schwartz Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sat, 30 May 2026 13:52:29 -0400 Sat, 30 May 2026 13:52:29 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1647/when-trying-to-surprise-your-opponents-backfires-exposing-the-weaknesses-of-the-indirect-approach By Joshua Schwartz - It is often thought that great military strategists do not engage in simple, frontal assaults, but instead devise complex plans meant to deceive, manipulate, and surprise their enemies. However, do such strategies always lead to victory? If not, what are some of the reasons why they fail to? In order to answer these questions, this paper will examine one such strategy known as the "indirect approach," which was developed by Basil Liddell Hart, a famous British historian and military strategist. The main concept of the indirect approach is that the optimal military strategy is to position your... Mon, 22 May 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1647/when-trying-to-surprise-your-opponents-backfires-exposing-the-weaknesses-of-the-indirect-approach