Mark Steyn's Interesting Take

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Pa(b)st Prime, Nov 12, 2006.

  1. It has been a long time since America unambiguously won a war, and to choose to lose Iraq would be an act of such parochial self-indulgence that the American moment would not endure, and would not deserve to. Europe is becoming semi-Muslim, Third World basket-case states are going nuclear, and, for all that 40 percent of planetary military spending, America can't muster the will to take on pipsqueak enemies. We think we can just call off the game early, and go back home and watch TV.

    It doesn't work like that. Whatever it started out as, Iraq is a test of American seriousness. And, if the Great Satan can't win in Vietnam or Iraq, where can it win? That's how China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Venezuela and a whole lot of others look at it. "These Colors Don't Run" is a fine T-shirt slogan, but in reality these colors have spent 40 years running from the jungles of Southeast Asia, the helicopters in the Persian desert, the streets of Mogadishu. ... To add the sands of Mesopotamia to the list will be an act of weakness from which America will never recover.

    ©Mark Steyn, 2006

    http://www.suntimes.com/news/steyn/132340,CST-EDT-steyn12.article
     
  2. Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
     
  3. I am afraid he is wrong, I am afraid Iraq is a test of american stupidity and ignorance, I am afraid we passed it with flying colors.
     
  4. "Long time" is in the eyes of the beholder. Seven years is not that long, unless your friend Mark Steyn has a really poor memory. Don't tell me that Yugoslavia doesn't count. Obviously you counted Somalia, which was only a humanitarian mission.

    Iraq was simply a poor choice for a battlefield. Neocons incompetence showed up on every level of this war.
     
  5. Pekelo

    Pekelo

    Hey, the war was won, it is the occupation that is being lost...

    The time of empire has passed, it is time to recognize.
     
  6. Amazing that there still exist 'analysts' who haven't figured out that it is exactly this (spectacularly) wrong idea that lost America the war in Vietnam and lost the American army so many young people in Iraq. I can't even call the American military effort in Iraq a 'war', at least in the past few years.

    I have a feeling that there are some hardened generals in the U.S. army who knew (know) that fighting Iraqi insurgents is hardly a matter of fighting 'pipsqueaks' and has nothing to do with not having the 'will', but they're not the ones who make the decisions - they are asked to carry out the orders of the suits who make the decisions, as bad as they may be.

    To characterize an enemy who is perfectly willing to die as a 'pipsqueak' is idiotic and, if you're one of the suits, very bad for the health of the troops.
     
  7. Steyn was comparing "pipsqueak" insurgents, i.e. unorganized, "unofficial" Sunni and Shite militia's to the threat posed by legitimate militaries in China, South Korea and to a lesser degree, Iran.

    American military policy has been much like the NFL. If you can't win at least keep the game close. We'd rather play for a field goal than throw, let alone drop the bomb. We appear impotent. Compare Russia's all out domination of it's conquests in Eastern Europe, the squelching of dissidents, the all out submission, to that of America's forays since WWII.
     
  8. LOL. For a second I thought you were actually serious......
     
  9. How did Russia do in that nation of ragheads -- Afghanistan?
     
  10. Piss poor.

    And I'd say Afghanistan was the beginning of the end for the U.S.S.R.

    One still sees the repercussions within the manner Putin allows the Chechens to terrorize Russian civilians. Can you imagine the Red response if 50 years ago Hungarian insurgents killed hundreds in Moscow subway/apartment house/theatre bombings?
     
    #10     Nov 12, 2006