Classic Form: Cornered prey will fight desperately. To ensure a capture, you must give them the illusion of an escape route. By allowing the enemy a temporary advantage or the perception of freedom, you can lower their guard, manipulate their movements, and secure a more complete and certain capture in the long run.
Modern Version: Permit a degree of criticism, economic freedom, or political independence to gain trust and foster dependency. Once the target is fully integrated and reliant on your system, clamp down with full force. The initial freedom was not a concession; it was the bait.
AI-Powered Execution: AI-driven surveillance systems can allow a target individual or group to operate with perceived freedom while secretly and comprehensively mapping their entire network of contacts, funding sources, and support structures. The system analyzes the growing dependency and calculates the optimal moment to "pull the rope"—not just arresting or neutralizing the primary target, but simultaneously dismantling the entire network it has patiently and invisibly identified. This approach maximizes the strategic impact of the final crackdown.
CCP Application: The CCP's handling of Hong Kong is the quintessential modern example. For years after the 1997 handover, Beijing largely allowed the city to maintain its free press, open courts, and vibrant civil society ("letting go"). This fostered a deep economic integration with the mainland and lulled many in the West into believing the "One Country, Two Systems" model was working. Once Hong Kong was fully dependent and the world was distracted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCP imposed the draconian National Security Law, swiftly arresting activists, shuttering newspapers, and crushing the pro-democracy movement ("catching him later"). The initial autonomy was the rope used for the final capture. Similarly, China allows certain apps like TikTok to gain widespread global popularity, seeming harmless at first, to foster dependency and collect vast amounts of "raw psychological data" which can then be used for future control.
Collaborators: Western think tanks and diplomats who celebrated China's "progress" and "opening up" during the period of perceived freedom, providing legitimacy to a long-term deception. Tech and financial firms that deepened their investments in Hong Kong, ignoring the political risks and making the city's economy even more susceptible to Beijing's control.
Counter: Document everything. Maintain constant pressure on human rights and autonomy. Never trust a temporary softening of an authoritarian line unless it is verified by irreversible, structural changes over a long period. Understand that a tactical retreat is not a strategic surrender; it is often the prelude to a trap.