Terrorism focus of new U.S. military strategy: report

Terrorism focus of new U.S. military strategy: report

news.yahoo.com

The document, which has been shared with U.S. lawmakers but not published, calls for the military to master "irregular" warfare rather than focusing on conventional conflicts with other states, said the newspaper.

...

"Success in Iraq and Afghanistan is crucial to winning this conflict, but it alone will not bring victory," it said.

Since taking office in late 2006, Gates has departed from his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld's focus on preemptive military action, instead encouraging cooperation with other countries to eliminate conditions that breed extremism, the newspaper said.

"The use of force plays a role, yet military efforts to capture or kill terrorists are likely to be subordinate to measures to promote local participation in government and economic programs to spur development, as well as efforts to understand and address the grievances that often lie at the heart of insurgencies," the document said.

"For these reasons, arguably the most important military component of the struggle against violent extremists is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we help prepare our partners to defend and govern themselves."

(visit the link for the full news article)

IMHO this is a political spin to help the current admin appear more middle of the road in the war on terror.

Add this to the step up in mudslinging - both major parties dash toward the finish and leave we the people behind.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Why does this make headlines?

"Just in case you didn't know were having a little difficulty combating insurgents in Iraq who are effectively peasants with AK-47's, hence we're going to start fighting asymmetrically like they do to try and win the conflict."

Ahhh..... duuuhhhh?

Took them 8 years to figure out you can't fight a stand-up war against guerrilla fighters?
I didn't realise Amnesia was contagious, or did everyone forget the lessons of Vietnam?

I like this paragraph:

"Success in Iraq and Afghanistan is crucial to winning this conflict, but it alone will not bring victory,"

No of course not, only complete and total US dominance of all the fast-depleting energy reserves in the world will.

A war against terrorism.
I would like to see how you successfully win a war against an emotional state.
Because if the US accomplishes this, I think it will be a land mark in human history.
Defeating emotions and feelings with physical forces. That would be something.
The next time we all feel a bit afraid or down, we can pick up a Rifle and blast our depression to pieces!!
"Take that anger! Take this anxiety! That's for making me feel stressed out!!"

Squashing terrorists groups now, causes scores more to rise up in their place in the future.
Don't believe me, look at Iraq now. A new Jihadist Brigade is formed every 2 months.
Foreign fighters pouring in, scores of delusional, confused, underprivileged young men turning to Fanatics who are the only ones that can promise them a way out of their misery.

All we're doing is strengthening their resolve to fight and free themselves of oppression and swelling their ranks.

A War on Terror is an unwinnable strategy even for the US.

You can't wage war against human nature. It's in our nature to resist. That's not Islam or the Arab world speaking, that's humanity.
The oppressed fight back, freedom is never handed on a silver platter it's skewered on the end of a bayonet.

You keep starting more disastrous wars and conflicts in a vain bid to stamp "terror" and your going to just create a never ending cycle of extremism.

I think head of the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, Ken McDonald said it best regarding this War on Terror notion:

"London is not a battlefield. Those innocents who were murdered...were not victims of war. And the men who killed them were not, as in their vanity they claimed on their ludicrous videos, 'soldiers'. They were deluded, narcissistic inadequates. They were criminals. They were fantasists. We need to be very clear about this. On the streets of London there is no such thing as a war on terror. The fight against terrorism on the streets of Britain is not a war. It is the prevention of crime, the enforcement of our laws, and the winning of justice for those damaged by their infringement."

business.timesonline.co.uk...

[edit on 31/7/08 by The Godfather of Conspira]