Repeated again and again, to one generation after another, the story presents a basic and short course on strategic deception. To avoid the fate of Troy, a leader must always be wary and vigilant. He must never trust an easy victory. Defeat can be a pretense. Collapse can be a disguise.
Withdrawal can be a maneuver.
The art of strategic deception is older than history. To break a stalemate, to overcome a more powerful opponent, cunning is required. Perhaps America thinks itself too intelligent, too enlightened, to fall into a trap. In fact, America is exactly like the Troy of legend. It believes itself victorious in the so-called Cold War.