re: the alternative methods of fighting our war:
For the hard-core committed Al Queda, and similar organizations, I said after 9/11, the only solution was to hunt them down and kill them, wherever they are, whatever it takes. And I still believe that. 9/11 and Pearl Harbor were attacks on Americans on American soil, and I believe in self-defense. Afghanistan was self-defense. I'd be open to considering an overthrow of the Saudi monarchy, if I thought we had good odds on replacing them with something better. But the occupation of Iraq was counter-productive.
But 99.9998% of the world's 1B Muslims are not hard-core Al Queda. For them, we need to convince rather than coerce. We need to dry up the vast pool of sympathy for our enemies. We can't kill them all; we don't have the manpower to hold a gun to all their heads, forever. If we try, they will recruit faster than we can kill them.
The path we're on, is leading to the Israelization of America, and the Palestinization of the entire Muslim world. A relationship of mutual hatred, where our enemies are willing to suffer endlessly, in order to hurt us. And no matter how much force we apply, no matter how thoroughly we militarize our own society, we still aren't safe. That's where we're going, if we don't radically change the ways we're fighting this war.
Same list I posted last April:
Message 18801778
I need to revise it some.
13. Reform the UN, rather than dissing it. The UN should have an organization in place, ready to do Nation Building wherever needed. The US can't do it; we aren't very good at it; we are seen as acting Imperially when we try. This will require a thorough reform of the UN, putting it under the effective control of the nations that pay the bills (that means the rich world, the functioning nations).
17. The U.S. needs to renounce first use of nuclear weapons, under any circumstances. Our current doctrine of First Strike, and our development of specialized small "useable" nukes, creates a huge incentive for every other nation on earth to get Equalizers. We should give a few Trident submarines to form a UN Deterrence Fleet. The use of this fleet, would be under the joint command of nuclear-capable nations that have renounced first use of nuclear weapons. The weapons would be used (and only used), to retaliate against any nation that used nuclear weapons for any reason. It should be structured so the US has effective veto on their use. Gradually, weapons controlled by nation-states would be decreased, put under more and more oversight and safeguards, and eventually eliminated.
18. We need to use non-violent methods, to enforce a minimum standard of civilized behavior, on every government on earth. If we are going to give up war except in self-defense, we need some other effective enforcement method. "Minimum Standard" is things like: respect other nation's sovereignty; don't gas your minorities; don't overgraze or pollute the Commons. Just the basics. Most nations have some crucial raw material they have to import. Or some export on which their entire economy depends. The reason embargoes and sanctions have usually failed in the past, is a lack of discipline and patience. Too many cheaters. We need to create treaties with the other major economies of the world, agreeing to all take specific steps, to punish specific misdeeds. |
