Three today: partial answer
Ganulv,
I don't want to pre-empt Outlaw 09, but the BBC reported after today's attack in Jerusalem that three victims were Americans:Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30092720The victims were Rabbi Moshe Twersky, 59, head of the seminary, Arieh Kupinsky, 43, and Kalman Levine, 55, all of whom also held US passports. The fourth victim, Avraham Goldberg, 68, is also a UK citizen.
davidbfpo
I assumed that was the reference he was making. I just wanted to bring up the fact that American citizenship is unlikely to be the why of that crime. It is much more likely that the victims were targeted as members of the Jewish state.Originally Posted by davidbfpo
And my question was also meant to bring up the fact that American citizens are not infrequently members of the IDF: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/07/21/how-can-americans-be-fighting-for-israel-in-gaza-some-background/
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
It is interesting you mention the IDF---just how many US active duty officers departed US active duty to serve in the 1968 and 1973 wars?
Especially if they held clearances where one cannot in theory hold two citizenships and or actual citizenship where one cannot owe allegiances to two countries when you take your militay oath.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 11-18-2014 at 05:37 PM.
Haven't the policies regarding those issues changed over the years, directly as a result of problems arising from clearance/citizenship conflicts?
I have no idea how things have changed over the decades, but the IDF seems to have been accepting recruits with U.S. citizenship as recently as this past summer. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nation...721-story.html
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
That has been a long-standing practice among Jews who are not Sabras, but want to serve Israel's armed forces. Common enough that I've seen a number of news articles about it and a Nat Geo expose from the 1970s.
I've seen it go hand in hand with working on a kibbutz for some youth.
OK, that was my general impression, but I haven’t ever known anyone falling into the category, so I wasn’t entirely sure.
[An aside, at the danger of going to too far off into the weeds. I do know someone who worked on the only pig-farming kibbutz. I asked him if it is a Christian kibbutz, and he said, “No. Just very secular.”]
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
Joel--to hold higher than a Secret then in fact one must be a US citizen and the question of dual citizenship becomes interesting as the US says if one takes an oath of allegiance to another military power then no US service-or if service then none with a clearance is allowed--that has not changed.
My latest article compared the insurgent offensive in the spring of 04 with the current one in 14. Many similarities and lessons learned. In 04 the insurgents made an attempt to seize territory and wanted to foment a general uprising against the government. Led to 2 battles of Fallujah and several other clearing ops in places like Tal Afar and Samarra. End of year U.S. thought that insurgents were defeated. Number of intelligence reports to Bush in December said otherwise. Today IS launched summer offensive and was able to seize huge amount of territory in Ninewa, Salahaddin, Kirkuk and Anbar. ISF now taking back the initiative and retaking territory in Salahaddin and Babil and claiming victory. In 04 major ops just dispersed insurgents to other areas and violence actually increased. Same thing might happen in 2015. Read more here.
Are you implying that President Bush thought the insurgents (and insurgency) were defeated, and that perhaps he discounted the intelligence reports that "said otherwise"?End of year U.S. thought that insurgents were defeated. Number of intelligence reports to Bush in December said otherwise.
I ask because although Cheney may have been running his mouth about the future of the insurgency, everyone on the ground at that time knew we were still in a very hot fight.
We may soon see another example of an emotion, rather than interest- based response.
Robert C. Jones
Intellectus Supra Scientia
(Understanding is more important than Knowledge)
"The modern COIN mindset is when one arrogantly goes to some foreign land and attempts to make those who live there a lesser version of one's self. The FID mindset is when one humbly goes to some foreign land and seeks first to understand, and then to help in some small way for those who live there to be the best version of their own self." Colonel Robert C. Jones, US Army Special Forces (Retired)
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