Techniques of war: Deterioration of infrastructure
Is there a different way to win a war than sending troops and artillery?
There is: Do it the subtle way. Destroy the infrastructure, by selling and privatizing, to let your opponent pay off debts that actually don't exist. Erase the ability to do self-catering with home-grown food, introduce the dependence on imports. Carry technology and patents out of the country. If human intelligentsia can't be lured away, make sure they can't make any profit out of their knowledge anymore - forbid them to work in their disciplines, declare graduations and diplomas to be invalid. Abolish law and order and take your sweet time to install yours as the new ones - to let chaos move in, and crime take hold. Additionally, send your own criminals in to fool the masses and to let the daily terror on the streets be perfect. Pump your own wares and goods into the newly acquired territory - to calm down the conquered masses and to make profit yourself; best even is if you let it be accompanied by advertising and propaganda how good it is, how grateful people can be to have it, meanwhile you can do the dirty work to strip them off their assets. While being at the assets: Rearrange the overall property situation. If the pattern makes sense or not, it doesn't matter - the confusion and the gain for your own fraction is the main objective.
At the end of it all, most importantly: Break the morale, the mindset of the people that you annex. Deconstruct the education system and build it anew. Let culture disappear to be never seen again. Kill the spirit of what made these people up! Make sure that way that you're going to be happy with your annexion for the coming decades - 'cause the resistance fades away with the people aging.
There is: Do it the subtle way. Destroy the infrastructure, by selling and privatizing, to let your opponent pay off debts that actually don't exist. Erase the ability to do self-catering with home-grown food, introduce the dependence on imports. Carry technology and patents out of the country. If human intelligentsia can't be lured away, make sure they can't make any profit out of their knowledge anymore - forbid them to work in their disciplines, declare graduations and diplomas to be invalid. Abolish law and order and take your sweet time to install yours as the new ones - to let chaos move in, and crime take hold. Additionally, send your own criminals in to fool the masses and to let the daily terror on the streets be perfect. Pump your own wares and goods into the newly acquired territory - to calm down the conquered masses and to make profit yourself; best even is if you let it be accompanied by advertising and propaganda how good it is, how grateful people can be to have it, meanwhile you can do the dirty work to strip them off their assets. While being at the assets: Rearrange the overall property situation. If the pattern makes sense or not, it doesn't matter - the confusion and the gain for your own fraction is the main objective.
At the end of it all, most importantly: Break the morale, the mindset of the people that you annex. Deconstruct the education system and build it anew. Let culture disappear to be never seen again. Kill the spirit of what made these people up! Make sure that way that you're going to be happy with your annexion for the coming decades - 'cause the resistance fades away with the people aging.