>>The generals were worried about whether the kit would work, and even if it did — the final, gut-wrenching fear — would the men fight? Around Christmas 1990, it was hard to find many senior figures in Washington who would reply to both those questions with a confident affirmative.<<
If that's true, I'd say, then and now, the generals and policy makers should get outside of the Beltway more. Even right after Vietnam, I never saw a generation of young soldiers unwilling to follow orders to fight. I suspect Anderson is hypothesizing; if not, our leaders have lost all touch with the real world.
>>Finally, if you do go ahead, then for God’s sake be as quick as possible, and make a thorough job of it — unlike last time.’ <<
Again, I seriously doubt the Saudis think this, because it was SA and other Arab allies, that mandated the half-measures to begin with.
>>If the US backed down now, nobody anywhere would still believe in America’s ability to assert itself.<<
The "said it, gotta do it" argument rises again.
Anderson's preconceptions are so flawed that his analysis is suspect. |
