Guyanese Online

Most successful underdog groups have three things in common, and Ukraine has all of them—including women in the fight.

By Sebastian Junger | Vanity Fair

ON PAPER, RUSSIA’S QUEST TO OCCUPY UKRAINE LOOKS LIKE A FOREGONE CONCLUSION. With about four and a half times as many soldiers, five times as many tanks and armored vehicles, and 10 times as many military aircraft, common sense tells us that Ukraine does not stand a chance.

IN FACT, HISTORY TELLS US OTHERWISE. 

From street-corner fistfights to insurgencies and wars, size is a terrible predictor for the outcome of human conflict. We are unique among mammals in our ability to defeat a larger, more powerful opponent; were this not so, the world would be composed of fascist mega-states and human freedom would not be possible. We readily risk our lives to defend others, as combat narratives for Medal of Honor recipients make abundantly clear. The smaller the group, the more stubbornly loyal members are to one another, and the harder — and costlier — they are to defeat.              Continue reading →