Strategic Thinking Exercise: Alien Invasion

[UV]

A hypothetical scenario:

Alien spacecraft have landed in North Africa. CNN, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, etc... are reporting at the scene. George Bush, other world leaders and the UN quickly form delegations to greet the otherworldly visitors. The world is abuzz with the significance of the event. For a lengthy moment in time, no one could care less if Robert Blake did it, people's minds are off Osama Bin Laden's whereabouts, the Israelis and the Palestinians put their decades-long bloodbath on hold, and people's interest in the gyrations of the stock market goes on the backburner. Everyone wants to learn more about the alien visitors and their apparently advanced civilization/technology.

One week passes and it is realized that the aliens are:

1. Belligerent and warlike.
2. Likely bent on an invasion of the Earth.
3. Likely interested in enslaving or obliterating the human race.
4. Highly advanced militarily and technologically.

The alien craft leave soon after. It is very obvious that this is not the last engagement with them, but only the beginning.

What do you think would happen next strategically and politically? What should happen?

Split open your legs,
stick your head between them
and kiss your ass goodbye.

[UV]

That is definitely one of the strategies available. You go ahead and do it. The rest of us -- who are not physically flexible enough or gymnastically practiced enough in your strategic technique -- would have to find another way.

Hi,

I don't know about you, but I'll go get laid... and I mean like some freaking rabbit...hahaha

Get organised, be prepared for guerrilla warfare. You know what, sometimes I wish it would happen, then the world would wake up and ignore their petty differences. Actually, kinda think of it, I wish it all the time...hmmmm

Cheers
Calling occupants of interplanetary most extraordinary craft

u are giving too less information.to make plans for battle,we have to know the exact military and technology standard of the aliens.how exactly advanced are their technologies,strong and weak points of their technologies,their estimated military force.maybe some spies can be sent to space and infiltrate their space base.they will be used to find out all info on enemy and find out when the invasion will come.if time allows,we can build space shelter in space to prepare to evacuate all important people into space.military and strategic commands will come from space.when next spacecraft comes we can then use the spies to infiltrate in,disguising as guest/tourist to "visit" their space base.if they are too unfriendly,we will have to use covert ways to get in the spacecraft.

[riku]

UV-
Nice scenario!

We would need to sent the US President to fly jet fighter in aliens mothership and launch a devastating computer virus to their main CPU...

I think it would be more like V-series than ID4: making independently working resistance cells, going to guerilla war, investigating weaknesses, jamming their information and supply, making propaganda... and dying boots on...

with respect,
riku

"What do I think will happen next, you ask?"

I think that after a short interval, mankind will go back to mistreating his fellow man for his own personal gain.

The inhumanity of man towards his fellow man, which is motivated by self-interest, will continue largely unabated because by an large, mankind (gotta love the paradox with the term, "mankind") is inherently an evil animal although he has the potential to do good.

To combat the seemingly evil aliens from outer space, I would advocate giving them Beta tapes(NOT VHS) of Western TV shows such as "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?." And then I would send as our emissary, none other than that guy "Puck" from the Real World.

If Puck's engaging personality and modest histrionics doesn't dissuade the aliens from leaving planet earth, nothing will.

BingFa

[UV]

Here is more data on the situation. This is all that is known:

It was first realized that the aliens are somewhat belligerent when, on the second night, a couple of mischievous local Arab kids, slipped through the still-porous cordon around the spacecraft. The kids were instantaneously vaporized by one of the alien guards. In the media, the incident was initially acknowledged as disturbing, but when the 13-year old brother of one of the vaporized kids reported that he saw his brother throw stones at the spacecraft, the incident was quickly dismissed as unnecessary terrorism by ignorant earthlings that triggered an uninformed alien response. The cordon was immediately taken over by a multinational force and tightened.

However, matters got more disturbing on the third day when the five-person UN delegation entered the spacecraft. None of the delegates were allowed to leave the craft, although they continued to communicate out by personal cell phone. The aliens dutifully handed food brought to the spacecraft over to the delegates. The delegates reported difficult non-verbal communications with the aliens, as well as detailed maps of the earth with cities and military installations pinpointed on them. The delegates also reported rough treatment and manhandling by the aliens, although it seemed that the aliens appreciated that communications were taking place between the delegates and the outside. By the sixth day, as cell phone battery power decreased, conversations with the delegates had become very infrequent.

On the sixth day, a Russian delegation independently sent to free the UN delegation, was prevented from leaving the spacecraft. By cell phone, the Russian delegates reported what appeared to be invasion and conquest maps of large areas of space, as well as scale models of what appeared to be planned alien settlements on earth. One extremely disturbing model contained chained human figurines building a structure, under what appeared to be an armed alien guard. There were no other humans represented in the models. Before the spacecraft left one day later, one of the Russians was heard screaming in terror over his cell phone. There were no further communications from any of the earth delegations.

The alien spacecraft left after seven days from the time of its arrival.

Two days later, a highly credible informant, linked to the now-defunct Russian delegation, revealed on Larry King Live that the delegation was actually on a mission to make a strategic alliance with the aliens, whereby Russia would be granted 'Earth Police' status. It now seemed that the Russian intent and mission had backfired and failed miserably. For the time being, most other nations were discouraged from seeking future alliances with the aliens against their 'fellow man'.

Sunday morning evangelical TV shows in the US seemed to be drawn to the fact that the alien craft was on earth for seven days. "Not six, not eight," one prominent minister was heard to say. Theological analysis was attempted at the significance of that number, which has a match in various parts of the Bible, from the Book of Genesis onwards. For the time being, however, no one had yet developed a satisfactory explanation for it.

UV, when the spaceship returns to earth, my strategy would be to send in a two person delegation consisting of Kofi Annan and Kathy Lee Gifford.

And then I would commence praying like hell that Kofi and Kathy Lee also not be permitted to leave the space craft....ever.

Hey, I gotta hold on to my dreams.

Now, back to Sun Tzu.

BingFa

Hey, how smart can these aliens of UV's be? I mean, afterall, they could have chosen to land in Paris and instead they chose to land their spaceship in northern Africa?

Whassup with that?

One thing is certain, those space aliens should fire their navigator and go hire someone more qualified...........ummm, like Captain Hazelwood, formerly the skipper of the Exxon Valdez.

BingFa

Well UV, I think it would be a great event to bring humanity together.

The problem in fighting space borne aliens, is that we do not have spaceships.

They can come and go as they like and bombard us anytime.
We on the other hand cannot strike back at their world(s).

I see this problem as comparable to what the natives of north and south america had to go up against, except this would be 100 times worse due to the fact that different life forms are involved.

What could they have done?
The only solution I see was to send spies over to europe, become more european and play off the europeans.
But the different culture and racial features prohibited that.

So, humanity cannot piss these aliens off, for they could destroy us as they wish.
We would have to make them not want to destroy us but also not allow them to conquer us. This is a tall order balancing act.

We could threaten suicide, but this does nothing to them.

Do they have enemies?
Would these enemies be better or worse than these aliens?
If these aliens are warlike and belligerent, either give them what they want in a controlled way, or do not give them a target and make them bored enough to move on.

Remember, as long as they control terran and sol space things will be difficult.

Do they need bases?
What is their physiology?

Do these questions apply at all or are they soley human interests that do not apply to them?

Lets just thank our lucky stars that it hasn't happened.

[Odisseus Nobody]

very amusing scenario!

how could we do?

1) "The Strategy of Open City Gates:
When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretence of military preparedness and act casually. Unless the enemy has an accurate description of your situation this unusual behavior will arouse suspicions. With luck he will be dissuaded from attacking.

2)"Strategy 10
Hide Your Dagger Behind a Smile:
Charm and ingratiate yourself to your enemy. When you have gained his trust, you move against him in secret."


3)"Strategy 1
Fool the Emperor to Cross the Sea
Moving about in the darkness and shadows, occupying isolated places, or hiding behind screens will only attract suspicious attention. To lower an enemy's guard you must act in the open hiding your true intentions under the guise of common every day activities."
-------
i.e.

a)collect and analyze every element the aliens left on earth (DNA or similar, etc.)
to find their weaknesses

b)hide most of your weapons (nuclear, NBC, conventional)

c) build strong defences but undercover them

d) prepare great wellcome to alien "visitors" and show every signal of submition

e) if aliens continue to attack earth..well watch once more "Dr.Strangelove" movie and detonate nukes!!! :-PPP


bye

[bilbo]

Interesting scenario.
What I would do if I was US President:
1. Strategically:
* If possible negotiate some kind of limited surrender with the aliens, hand over parts of the world, etc. This will buy some time.
* Focus, at all costs, on capturing and studying the alien technology. Then develop a long term, secret program to use the tech against them.
2. Politically:
* DON'T work through the UN. It will take too much time to get a full agreement. In this situation the US will have to go it alone, other countries can support and follow or be ignored. BTW I'm Australian, but I recognise in times of extreme danger (eg. the recent War on Terror) the US is really in the position of world leadership. I expect that most of the Western world would accept this situation.

[Just Bob]

Interesting...can world peace only be accomplished through a common enemy?

[riku]

Just Bob -
What a scary thought! There is this another thread about what are one afraid of. Now I know what I'm afraid.

with respect,
riku