Anyone who has read me from 2003 on knows I was not a fan of invading Iraq, or trying to build Afghanistan into a modern state - if only because I don't believe the US has the stomach for that sort of thing. I'm not sure anyone does, any more, since colonialism has fallen into severe disfavor (and not without good reason).
The only people who were any good at it were the Romans and the Brits, and theirs was a centuries-long approach, unfettered by instantaneous communications, which make the bad immediate, and isn't really interested in the good, because... it's slow, and it's boring.
Doesn't mean I didn't support the troops, or try to support and explain the mission, even as I had misgivings about whether it was going to work in the long run - made easier by the fact that casualties are historically low, regardless of the obsession over numbers (and the real pain of real casualties).
I'm in the "smash and grab" punitive expedition camp. Smack 'em upside the head, kill the senior people, and leave a note saying, "Don't f*ck with us, or we'll be back."
And then develop the true intel capacity (which means that ugly old stand-by, humint) to keep an eye on things.
Truth, lies and Afghanistan
How military leaders have let us down
By LT. COL. DANIEL L. DAVIS
I'm currently reading
We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People by Peter Van Buren. It hasn't improved my attitude any, as it is just chock full of what for me is bias confirmation. Review forthcoming.
Read the complete post at http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2012/02/ouch_that_hurts.html
Posted
Feb 07 2012, 10:48 AM
by
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..