New strategy for Catalan independence: Barcelona and Madrid change tactics

After a crazy referendum on October 1, it seems like Barcelona has radically changed the tactics of obtaining the cherished independence.

The current continuous confrontation between the central Spanish and regional Catalan governments stubbornly resembles the creative rethinking of the old military “Fabian strategy” for the purposes of the modern political struggle.

It is a well-known strategy since the old days of the Second Punic War of intentional delaying of confrontation, avoiding direct clashes, increasing small attacks until the enemy is exhausted. The Carthaginian commander Hannibal, who had a considerable advantage over the Romans on the immediate field of battle, could not oppose anything to tactics of the avoidance of clashes that made him drag around in Italy, that set up against him the local population and was demoralizing his soldiers.

Theoretically, such an asymmetric tactics should be used only by one of the parties – a weaker military party, but more enduring and with a larger space for maneuver.

In the Catalan case, the “tactics of delaying” has reached a new level.