by sock » 22 Mar 2016, 05:27
Say what you will about Donald Trump, but his success in the GOP primary campaign is a classic example of one of Diplomacy's most effective solo strategies--divide and conquer. Successful PlayDip players seek to keep as many of their opponents around as long as possible during their slow and steady march towards a solo. Simply put, small powers can never effectively combine their collective strength against a superior opponent. Fear, jealousy, or boredom always gets in the way, especially when the lead player makes one of his weaker opponents a temporary ally. Consider then Donald Trump. Faced with over a dozen opponents, he allows himself to be overlooked while he builds an unbeatable base among white, non-college educated voters. His opponents, on the other hand, fight among themselves, carving up potential support, and allowing Trump to build momentum. When Trump clearly becomes a threat, they can't band together, as they let their personal agendas get in the way. Trump even used Cruz as an initial ally to provide cover as he grew in strength. But as the number of opponents shrinks, his path gets harder. The possibility of a brokered convention feels just like a three way tie when the top player has only 16 or 17 centers and no path to get the decisive 18th. The jury is out if Trump ultimately wins the Presidency, but there is plenty proof in my book that he is a savvy, natural PlayDip player that you won't want to mess with. And he already has a knack for flinging insults and juvenile language.
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