When a monster military like the US circles its prey for possible attack, very little can go wrong. Painful lessons of past wars have taught state leadership how to avoid mistakes that can drag the country into interminable conflict. If the order to pounce is given, the outcome will soon be decided and the winner never in doubt. The foregoing is offered as the naive view of US foreign policy. But maybe the one currently in charge of the planet has digested Sun Tzu. Maybe the blatant seriousness of the threat will frighten the enemy into submission without a single shot—or missile—being fired