stratagems

Stratagems are plans or schemes designed to outwit opponents and achieve a specific aim, often by deception, surprise, or exploiting weaknesses. The term originates from the idea of strategic action within conflict or competition and is used in military, political, business, and cultural contexts to describe clever, purposeful tactics.

Historically, stratagems are most closely associated with warfare and statecraft. One well-known reference is the 36 Stratagems, a Chinese collection of tactical precepts that emphasize deception, feints, and shifting alliances. Although rooted in military treatises, the concept has been applied to politics, business, and games, highlighting the role of cunning in gaining advantage.

Common stratagems include feints to mislead an opponent, misdirection to conceal true intentions, exploiting a rival's weaknesses or overextensions, forming temporary alliances, and presenting dilemmas that force choices favorable to the strategist. Many frameworks categorize stratagems by objective, such as avoidance, confrontation, or subversion, and by the source of leverage used.

In modern usage, stratagems are discussed as part of strategic thinking rather than as criminal acts. They are analyzed in business competition, diplomacy, sports, and literature as illustrations of planned, adaptive behavior. The term frequently carries a neutral or even critical nuance, depending on whether the tactics respect ethical norms or rely on deception and coercion.