"If you cannot convert an enemy into an ally, destroy him before he destroys you", said Chanakya, Machiavelli, Von Clausewitz, et al

In 1191, Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain. Ghori was captured, but later spared in line with the Rajput code of chivalry and dharma. What happened next?

Ghori returned 1192, and defeated Chauhan in the Second Battle of Tarain. Prithviraj Chauhan was captured and killed, and that single moment changed the history of India; it led to the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate era.

Before that, a similar blunder was committed by the great Gupta Empire (320 - 550 AD). The great Chandragupta 2 (Vikramaditya) saw the incoming attack by Huns, but it was seen as nothing more than a nuisance value. It was dealt with and brushed aside. Huns were pushed away, but spared.

What happened then? Vikramaditya was succeeded by Kumargupta. And Kumargupta by Skandgupta. By Skandgupta's time, Huns had become so fierce and powerful that even though Skandgupta defeated them and was hailed for saving the great Gupta Empire, he didn't "finish" them when he could; and that led to the following Gupta generations seeing the end of the empire. With the end of the Gupta empire, North India's classical era ended, and the dark age began. India was never the same.

In the West, there are countless examples, both in modern and medieval history. I just recently read a book called "15 Decisive Battles of the World" by Edward Casey (as the title suggests, it described 15 battles of utmost civilizational importance in the author's eyes, starting from The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 AD), and it was filled to the brim with examples of what a mistake it can be to give a sworn enemy a chance to regroup, especially after delivering a defeat.

There are so many brilliant quotes by Von Clausewitz, Machiavelli, and even the great Chanakya on this. Chanakya said it best:

"If you cannot convert an enemy into an ally, destroy him before he destroys you."

Given all that context. What do you think will India do? While absolute actions are obviously not possible, what's next for this conflict? Do you see a way out?

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