Unveiling the Scorched Earth Policy: Brutality, Victors' Perspective, and Settler Capitalism Explained

3.1.1 The 'Scorched Earth Policy' is a military strategy that involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area. This includes burning crops, killing livestock, and destroying infrastructure like wells, mills, railway, bridges etc. Its brutality lies in the impact it has on civilians, who bear the brunt of these devastations, resulting in famine, displacement, and widespread suffering. 3.1.2 Victors, or those who implemented the 'Scorched Earth Policy,' often described it as a necessary and strategic military tactic. They may rationalize it as a means of depriving the enemy of resources, therefore weakening them and protecting their own troops. However, it's important to note that while this policy may be strategically effective from a military perspective, it is widely criticized due to its devastating impact on civilian populations and the natural environment. 3.1.3 The term 'Capitalism', in reference to 'Settler Capitalism,' refers to an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. Under capitalism, goods and services are produced for profit, and wealth is generated and distributed through the free market. In the context of 'Settler Capitalism,' this often involved settlers moving to new territories and establishing economic systems which resulted in their ownership of land and resources, often at the expense of indigenous populations.