I'm not CB, but I certainly would risk some troops to learn by doing.
You have a point Sig but I think the "learn by doing" that will stop the terrorists doesn't involve our troops. It's not likely that we'll be in another "occupation" soon and, if we are, I hope to hell we aren't trying to do administration and police work with military troops that are untrained and unfit for the job and can't speak the language.
Once you separate the question of what we have to fear from rogue nations from the question of what we have to fear from the Al Queda types that conducted the 9/11 attacks, the picture is quite clear. The roque nation threat is one of preventing the spread of wmds and the means of deploying them. If we cannot do that fully, we should at least attempt to do so in those nations whose leadership is, or may soon become, unstable. In order to do that we will, of course, require the help of the world and particularly those economic and/or military powerhouses like Russia, China, Western Europe, Japan...
The terrorist threat, however, requires a well run and efficient intelligence operation not only in the U.S., but throughout much of the world. In addition it requires the help of local populations in countries throughout the world that have the eyes and ears to find that needle in the haystack. That means it requires that much of the world find reason to root FOR us instead of against us.
This administration has failed to articulate, or possibly even to make, the Nations vs. Terrorists distinction. Whether that's through ignorance or because of policies that are hidden from us is not clear. As a result, although we have made strides in creating short term disincentives for rogue nations to create wmd capacities, we have lost valuable ground in the fight against terrorism.
If we're going to ask our young soldiers to fight, die and kill in faraway places, let's at least be sure that we know what we're doing and why we're doing it. Empty sacrifices are noble for those who make them but they are an ignoble and obscene on those who initiate them. |
