total war

Jiang's label for reorganizing an entire society and economy around military struggle, which he says Europe is approaching and Russia has not yet fully declared.

Used for a state of full national mobilization in which Iran would commit to destroying the American military presence in the Middle East and damaging the global economy. Used for the kind of war Jiang says would be required against Iran, focused on economics, organization, and logistics instead of optics and narrative.

A war condition where every citizen and the entire economy are recruited into the war effort.

Clausewitz-derived idea that military victory requires mobilizing society and citizen morale.

Jiang predicts that Europe is moving toward total war against Russia and says the plan is for German troops to be in Ukraine by 2029, with prolonged conflict generating the domestic backlash that Putin wants.

Jiang argues that Russia has not yet fully shifted into total war because military spending remains moderate as a share of GDP and Putin still frames Ukraine as a special military operation rather than a formal war, leaving room for a later surge in mobilization.

He argues that the nation-state idea became so powerful that defeating it required destroying civilian populations, not merely killing soldiers.

Jiang claims the United States is preparing for total war through industrial mobilization, weapon subsidies, draft registration, longer service, and a rapidly rising Pentagon budget.

The speaker argues that if the United States destroys Iranian power plants and kills young people forming human chains, it would galvanize Iran and push the nation into total war.

Jiang argues that the Pentagon's optics-and-narrative habits may work against Somalis and Iraqis but are a major problem against Iran, where the United States would need total war focused on economics, organization, and logistics.

He predicts Iran will probably win the war, but that winning requires focus, clarity, and resolve translated into unity, censorship, militarization, and total war.

Shock and awe fails against Iran because decentralized command and religious total war mean cutting off Tehran's head does not stop the rest of the body.