U.S. Military Policy Re: Dealing with ISIS
In response to my post on U.S. military policy vis-a-vis ISIS, frequent commenter Larry Lemmert writes: Craig, you have laid responsibility for the creation of the current batch of terrorists at the feet of U.S. and allied powers who have projected power in the Middle East…. Hitler was running wild over Europe committing atrocities that most of the civilized world could not ignore. ISIS today has similar aspirations and perhaps a larger following of Jihadists foot soldiers who will die for their evil cause. I think that you are on the wrong side of history regarding pacifism in the face of evil.
A couple of things:
1) I’m not entirely pacifistic. E.g., I’m very proud of the damage my father did to Germany in WW2, and I completely support a military approach to deal with evil. I do believe, however that it should be used judiciously, and that it should not be our “go-to” mode of dealing with issues like these.
2) Germany is a country; ISIS is a non-state terrorist organization. While I’m (obviously) not an expert on waging war, we’ve already seen that using conventional warfare strategies and tactics has failed us miserably here, and there are no reasons to believe that any of this will magically change.
3) I’m not laying the entire responsibility on the U.S. and our allies, but I do think our approach is short-sighted, and is, in fact, fanning the fire. There are many ways in which this is the case, including our rhetoric that suggests that we’re at war with Islam, i.e., 1.3 billion Muslims. I understand that this is useful politically, in that it stirs the passions of tens of millions of ignorant, hateful people, but again, it’s like throwing gasoline on a fire. It really is a despicable tack for a politician to take, given the precarious situation the world is in today.
I also reiterate what I wrote above, i.e., that the only thing the U.S. represents to millions of people over there is destruction, starvation, and a host of other miseries. We’re making matters worse, with both word and deed.
4) This whole situation will be greatly ameliorated the moment that oil ceases to have any significance to our world. Fortunately, that day is coming. We just need to hope that it comes in time.
I don’t see our world giveing up its appetite for oil anytime soon considering the relentless increase in population and the desire for everyone to have a standard of living comparable to what we have in the USA. Inspite of this unquenchable thirst for oil we are offsetting it to some extent with domestically produced frack gas and liquids. Of course solar and wind are coming on strong which should dampen our perceived need to keep the oil flowing in the Middle East.
I agree that our tactics of fighting conventional wars do not transfer successfully to rogue terrorist type conflicts. Our successes seem to come when the terrorists seize control of an area and then we come in and overpower them with Warthogs and drones. This makes headlines but doesn’t solve the root problem.
We are at war with radical jihadist Islam. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is a duck. It is not the same Islam practiced by most Muslims today but it is true to a literal interpretation of the Koran. These jihadis are religiously motivated and no amount of bombing will deter them from their goal of force ably converting the whole world to their brand of Islam. Shites and Sunnis and Wahabes would killing each other in the name of religion if they didn’t have us as easy targets over there. It is appealing to just take the libertarian point of view and just let hem duke it out over there.
But, we have seen that they insist on taking the fight to the streets of America and Europe since admittedly we have stirred up the hornets nest.
The peace loving Muslims must engage in this war and call a spade a spade. We know and they know who we are fighting and together we can reduce the atrocities to a minimum. We need to continually be thanking those Muslims who lend support to exposing the terrorists. It is hard for them because of threats within their communities but they need to do the right thing and come forward. We need to do the right thing also by no using careless speech that lumps them all in the terrorist fold.
I once took a toilet auger and cleaned out a stopped up toilet. I wasn’t proud of my job. It was a dirty job, it had to be done, and I pursued the task efficiently and to completion. For someone who is generally a pacifist war can be a lot like that. I am sorry that there are people who made sacrifices large and small in this kind of effort, but I am very cautious about aggrandizing the effort or even considering their efforts heroic as it may be only to shift attention away from the personal shame in not being there or making a similar effort.
Even the Nazi’s were not stupid enough to try to marginalize a major world religion for their scapegoat. That sort of insanity became old in the middle ages. Some who recognize this attempt to limit the discussion to “radicalized” Muslims. But it is also clear to any clear thinking person that if you attempt to marginalize a person, dehumanize them, condemn their religious practices, search and destroy their homes, take their land, at least a few individuals may react in radical ways. The distance between a terrorist and a freedom fighter may be only which person is doing the talking.
The history of the US is full of finding one “bad guy” after another who are “our enemies.” And we find that in almost every case these “bad guys” were formerly trained or given aid as our “very good friend.” The pattern has repeated so often it is becoming a joke on a sleeping American population, encouraged to “hang a flag” and “support our troops…” and be very afraid of “the enemy,” which we may have had just a little part in creating.
I am not sure eliminating the need for oil will completely solve such issues. It may be that “we have to do this to secure our supply of oil as advocated in the movie “Three days of the Condor” will only be an excuse that can easily be substituted with “to secure our supply of lithium,” the artic, space, Mars or some other valued substance or territory.
Some welcome want to rush into the era of the American “Empire,” without the historical understanding that this precedes a change in the governing structure, an inevitable decadence and then decline. It has all happened before just with different players on a distant stage.
Very Well Said Larry and Breath On The Wind – you both covered this complex issue quite well.
I would add that we are already a Empire in Decline no matter how hard some will Cling to Iconic False Cultural Slogans and Faux sense of Patriotism. I realize the Pretend to the End Crowd is huge and can drown me out. Fine.
Our Foreign Policy Compromises have been Compromised by each succeeding administration and the results are always the same bigger compromises and less favorable results!
Billions or Trillions spent , Precious Blood and Treasure expended and no Victory or End in sight! The cost of Iraq, Afghanistan is over $ 3 trillion and the ongoing medical treatment over the lifetime of our wounded and very much in need service members is estimated to be another $1 Trillion the so called experts don’t really know anymore.
Afganistan was really a Multi National Corp cabal that wanted to build a natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan thru Afgan thru Pakistan and into India The TAPI pipeline project but the Cabal needed the Taliban to play along and they never could agree on a price. The hidden price or cost of hyper Globalism! So Force was going to be used to Force the issue – 13 years later or so massive Failure.
So after 9 / 11 debacle caught our incompetent administration flatfooted so they caught themselves and used the bogey man O Bin Laden as a reason to go and invade etc. Then they let him escape sorta on purpose so they could blow up the war bigger and make Corporations more money and then divert the American Sheeple further by concocting a destructive un necessary war in Iraq when a Special Forces Operation would have taken out the bad guy Saddam and many costs might have been avoided. Might have even led to a political solution or a peaceful 3 state breakup solution ?
But the cultural cost – the alienation of the millions of middle eastern people of this Plan B is probably as bad as what we did do so we are stuck with the Blunders we made.
Confessions of good Generals, there are some despite what the NY draft dodger claims, confirm these previous statements , as well as foreign journalists not on the take to play along like our domestic compromised media hack. Inconvenient Truths and we are mired in Endless War that has Growing Challenges in many different forms.
Many of our wounded and mentally impaired soldiers who have made it home realize the futility of their noble service etc. They realize that they been a Necessary Pawn in a money making game disguised as some heroic Epic Struggle against some sort of Terrorism etc. They realize our failed policies have encouraged the Terrorist movement . Pouring gas on the fire! They have watched private sector contractors become enriched by the conflict too. They have seen their friends die protecting the money opportunists, etc.
We sell weapons to Saudi Arabia in the Billions as does France and then turn a blind eye when the Saudi Govt funds radical schools that indoctrinate the young terrorists all over the World for years so they can keep the Lid on their Power over their people. Keep the Huge Cultural Stew Pot from Boiling over …. don’t worry that is going to happen sooner than many think despite what we do or don’t do.
So many of our in need soldiers don’t get the real treatment or job opportunities that they should get , the mass of the american public is not engaged other than tying yellow ribbons on trees and putting yellow ribbons on SUV’s that guzzle gas ( what Irony perhaps) Cheering at Costly unnecessary military Flyovers at Sports Events now all trying to soft sell WAR to Americans as Normal behavior. Package it as Noble and Normal , etc.
So the wounded soldiers realize all this and they Give up and co-mitt suicide as it over comes them , not all but far too many.
Some have told my counselor friends they see the Sheeple society as complicit in their suffering – so they have no hope etc. It is a Wonder that many of our Noble Service people have not fallen to this low depression etc and can re enter society and do well. Amazing they pull it off.
The bank accounts of Pakistani, Afganistani, Iraqui, Egyptian and all the other Connected power brokers from these countries rulers stashed in Swiss Bank Accounts came from US taxpayers in the Ignoble war on Terror.
Back to the Strawman Issue on Oil
We don’t need the Oil anymore as we have more domestic options as does Mexico but this does cost more per barrel and that might shock our economy as it did in 2007. We are in a economic vise , our oil co can’t afford to pump at $ 45 a barrel long term ( there are a few exceptions) and really want $ 60 or more but our economy can’t run on higher priced oil very well for very long. These economic details have nothing to do with Terrorism etc.
While the price of Saudi Crude or Iraqi crude may be cheaper than domestic oil ( mostly $10 to $20 at the well head) the excessive military resources needed to secure for our exploitation of this carbon resource makes this oil not that cheap as our current over expenditures on military forces has shown. The public has been shielded from the military cost built into barrels of foreign oil for years now. We have significant financial burdens either way we play it.
Yes some Voices want to continue and expand perhaps our over extended American Empire. They seem to be ignorant of the Timeless Truth-ism that tells us that when we find ourselves in a ditch , the first thing we should do is STOP DIGGING !
Another form of Digging is last week our Government and Congress that can’t seem to run our domestic affairs properly very quietly passed a multi year I think it was a 10 year deal for $35 Billion of more special military aid to Israel. As reported by AP in a 30 second sound bite!
So we guaranteed that there will be more terrorists in the future. Underwriting more conflict!
Flailing Gasps of a Over Extended Empire that is ignoring its own citizens!
The fuel issue could be mitigated by a Marshall Plan to solarize and get batteries down in cost so we could shift a large portion of transportation fuel to clean electricity with its environmental & economic benefits. But our policy makers have Legacy Black Golden Handcuffs and the massive sunk investment costs are our Huge Albatross alternative!
Time w tell….but many of us know the definition of Insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting different results ! The Trajedy Plays On
Back to ISIS the degenerate Frankenstein created by the Hyper Arrogant, Foolish and Full of Hubris policy deficient Iraq War.
The only way to resolve and neitralize them if even possible is for the good Sunni Arabs in Iraq, Arabia and Jordan and Syria and along with the good Kurds all Man Up and Fight them and defeat them.
it has to be done by Arabs as the Western Powers have tainted things in the region for over 650 years or longer.
Of course we and other European Allies have to provide the needed military resources to provide the Firepwer to take them down.
It may result in a separation of Iraq into 3 states and the Eastern part of Syria joining the Sunni Iraq side.
The area has many factions and countries like Turkey dont help the situation when they trade in ISIS oil which was funding them but now we seem to have tapped that down .
Arabs need to Man UP and stop playing both sides of the game!
The Sunni Shitte centuries old conflict is the Root of the Problem.
The Saudi and Iran standoff is the real story as well.
Our leaders who created this fiasco should have been held accountable for their gross incompetence and their Hubris over this foreign policy disaster that is a Dark Stain on our Country and and financial drain as well,
Well said, Craig.