Answered your question on the original thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MikeF
A continuiation of this
thread.....
We take winning the hearts and minds as dogma- simple truth to theory, not to be contested with practice.
Can anyone provide an example of a thriving modern-day nation-state influenced by western intervention...i.e. western intervention won the hearts and minds of the local populace?
Modern day Germany and Japan do not count as they were had democracy/capatilism forced on them through occupation. We proclaim NOT to enforce an empire.....
I find it funny that our own conservatist are so anti-government, but they believe that we have the wisdom to intervene in others' affairs. G. Washington warned us against this...
v/r
Mike
Just to clarify one point here though; while I am not sure what our position was with the Germans, it was probably similar or better to the one we took with the Japanense. At the WWII Museum in New Orleans they have posted on the wall the terms of surrender that we had with this most hated foe, who we had dehumanized for years of bloddy conflict, who we had nuked twice, who had an emperor who they believed was a deity:
"That the Japanese people would have the right of Self Determination"
I love that fact. Prior to 60 years of implementing global control policies on this side of the Iron Curtain in order to support a strategy of containment of the Soviets on their side of the same, we did not believe that we had the right to dictate terms of governance of others, regardless of how we felt about them. After 60 years of such policy we see it as a requirement to do so.
So once again, I state: Its time to retire the Cold Warriors and their policies along with the Cold War; because to hang onto the former without the latter serves only to creat growing friction with our neighbors and to reduce our national credibility.
"hearts and minds" is a cliche
used by people with no understanding of the practice of COIN warfare who wish to convey to people who know even less than they do about the subject that they are subject matter experts.
Galula suggested in his introduction to Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and practice that plenty of people offer slogans, the difficulty comes in operationalising them.
I am increasingly convinced that the only people who can use the term 'hearts and minds' without any sense of irony or embarassment are 6pm news anchors, undergraduates attempting the 'explain COIN in 2,000 words or less' essay and charlatans.
Cheers
Mark
Must admit that is not something
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bob's World
oh yeah...and if I hear one more person claim that "they hate us because we are beautiful"
:eek:
That I have ever heard any of my countrymen (or brits for that matter) say!
Is that a real enemy perception or wishful thinking???
Cheers,
Mark
I've never heard ANYONE even hint we were hated 'cause
we were beautiful... :confused:
Rich, selfish, ugly, mean on occasion over the last 222 years? Absolutely! :eek:
:D :cool:
The truth shall set you free.
Your last quoted paragraph, spake by Brian Keith in that mostly fictional movie, were true long before they were written in the 1970s and are still true today.
Pity more Americans do not understand that. Be really helpful if more in Congress did...