I kinda get the feeling Dukat didn't want the minefield down

[Photon]

1) The constant friction w/Weyoun for power
2) The hemming-hawing about the minefield
3) The chatter w/Damar about making Cardassia (not Dominion) an Alpha power.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Dukat wanted to take as much credit as possible for Cardassia's ascent (independently of the Dominion) and to settle old scores. Correspondingly, he made the minefied far less of a priority than it should be. It took far less attention than it should have, but by Sacrifice of Angels, he was counting on it.

 

[Tomalak]

In an ideal world, he would have quickly crushed the Federation and used the minefield as leverage against the Dominion. But that was never likely to happen, as Cardassia needed the Dominion forces to defeat the Federation and Klingons, who weren't going to roll over. They also need plentiful Jem'Hadar to occupy and pacify their conquests to prevent future resistance.

The more you think about it, the more ludicrous his plan becomes. It could only end in two ways, neither of them good for him. Either the complete subsumption of Cardassia into the Dominion, or the defeat of Cardassia by the Allied forces. If the minefield comes down, Cardassia becomes just a minor part of the Dominion supremacy in the Alpha and near-Beta Quadrants. If it doesn't, then victory becomes a lot less likely, and it becomes a lot more difficult to hold on to the worlds they manage to capture.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I think Dukat really believed he could keep Weyoun in check just by the strength of his personality.

His idea of victory wasn't just winning the war, it was complete submission of the enemy, heart, mind and soul.

 

[DS9forever]

I remember the Dominion War novelization touching on this:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...&q="The longer the mine field was up"&f=false

 

[Heghta]

Dukat is such an entertaining character. I wish he would have gotten more screen time. He was so deliciously evil lol