Human Terrain & Anthropology (merged thread)

[marct]

The war was lost because the Army screwed it up for seven years and lost support of the politicians. The fact that the effort got turned around (and Phoenix played a part in that) too late to und the early errors does not negate the value of the program -- sort of the operation was a success but the patient died due to a cancer

Well, in extreme cases radical surgery works - I've just always been in favour of preventative medicine or early surgery .

I think the key to using a tactic like Phoenix is inherent in the word "judicial", especially with all of the current concerns over rule of law.

...True. Though I would submit that current concerns may modify upwards or downwards dependent upon many things.

Yeah, that is definitely true. The worst part about itis the effect it can have on the people executing it (pun not intended). There's an all too easy slippery slope that can destroy people all too easily. In some ways, I'm a great believer in the potential for "salvation" (yeah, Stan, I know... I'm a romantic). Still and all, some people just need to be involuntarily discarnated and told "get it right next time"!

have you been sneaking down here and looking into our playbook? Who told you about this op?

Nah, I just popped over to a friends blog and read it there .

But by eliminating leadership judiciously (and permanently) faster than they can be replaced makes many an insurgent take a closer look at the benefits of capitalism.

Very true! After all, given the current fad for foreign outsourceing amongst the US government, they could easily find high paying employment in the near future . Personally, I have nothing against capitalism, even though we have never seen it in action. I prefer KYFHO as a guiding philosophy...