It can often be instructive, in the study of history, to play the intriguing game of “what if?”  We are inclined to believe in the inevitability of historical events, simply because things turned out as they did; yet we tend to forget that different decisions might have produced very different outcomes.  Thought experiments also help us to review those timeless principles of leadership and morals that may be applicable to our own lives.  Let us, then, review Hannibal’s decision not to march on Rome in the immediate wake of his shattering victory at Cannae in August of 216 B.C.