Having recently returned from Iraq, I would have to say that based on my work with the local security forces that Iraq is indeed headed in the right direction. My biased opinion is that the...
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Having recently returned from Iraq, I would have to say that based on my work with the local security forces that Iraq is indeed headed in the right direction. My biased opinion is that the...
Question, it seems the Baath party was viewed with some measure of legitimacy before being ousted. Can a Taliban government be viewed with any sort of legitimacy (internal or external) due to the...
A paper I wrote for a class, seems timely now.
Throughout history, civil wars have been personal affairs that pit brother against brother and countrymen against countrymen. In some instances...
I think they should offer a supplement to the original book every couple years. Maybe we can talk McCrystal in 50 years or so.
Excellent book and excellent point. Just curious, I read it in 2006, has it been revised to cover the resurgence of the Taliban?
It would be interesting to see a discussion of the 20 worst generals of all time, no biases would creep in I'm sure. I think Sun Tzu once said "never join in a discussion titled the greatest ______...
I am thankful for Ken White and his service. Because of people like him we here in the United States (and many countries around the world) can enjoy spirited discussions of this nature.
Thanks for the feedback. I say cede meaning I will yeild and not pursue the argument at this point. Since I will probably not have a chance to learn of every conflict, my use of "one of the most" was...
Thanks, will check it out tonight!
Sorry, the topic is great Generals. I was using the example to make a case for Gen Petraeus, in my misguided attempt to say maybe some great Generals are serving today, premature I know, but still....
Giap seems to have a pretty big following here, so I will cede this one. We will just have to agree to disagree. No worries, the great thing about a free country is we can believe what we want :) .
Admittedly, other than Vietnam, I do not know details of the other civil wars, so I will give a few examples of what I consider complex (I just submitted a paper on sort of this same topic, maybe I...
:D haha! I hoping for something with a little more substance. I guess the argument means Jim McMahon was a great QB :p
Actually, I am pretty much snowed in up here in DC. I saw a couple of the guys down in the lobby and they asked what I have been doing for the last couple days. When I told them I have been arguing...
No superbowl, but he is still considered a great QB :D . Seriously, yes I should probably study more of the eastern side of warfare, usually I cannot get past the whole proverbial "if your enemy is...
Interesting, I think most of my points can be quantified with statistics, except the complexity part (subjective of course). Is your disagreement with Petraeus' involvement or that the situation has...
Defense:
Marius: reformed Roman army, elected Consul 7 times, defeated Teutones and Cimbri, saved Rome.
Lee: I have to mention him or I will be struck by lightning: D. He did happen, with...
Top five for me:
Marius
Caesar
Puller
Lee
In Charlie Wilson's War, it is observed that one of the great mysteries of the war was that the media virtually ignored US involvement, allowing CIA ops to continue without interference, unlike the...
Interesting points everyone. This is an argument that may make an interesting paper. I am a believer in PSYOPs and know that cyber warfare is becoming a focus of military forces. Kinetic, or not? I...
correct, the similarities are numerous and given the short nature of the paper (and the enormous amount material in the two books) I hit on only a couple points. The final paper for this course will...
Thanks,
The class is a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Course at the University of Oklahoma. The topic is comparison of Modern and Ancient Irregular warfare. I plan to post a couple of others...
Short comparison paper I wrote for a class.
The Accidental Guerilla by David Kilcullen provides a review of modern counter - insurgency operations. Whereas the examples provided by Mr. Kilcullen...