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Changes in modern warfare

Reader comment on item: War's New Face

Submitted by Doug Petrilla (United States), Apr 17, 2003 at 15:25

Dear Mr. Pipes,

The article on modern wars is interesting and certainly succeeds in showing that the nature of war is changing. I must take issue with one of your points: That wars are no longer fought for national self interest. Iraq, here, is the obvious example. We can swiftly dispense with the notion of "Operation Cheap Oil." If that were the goal of the U.S. war, then "Operation Iraqi Freedom" could have been replaced with the more cost efficient "Operation Lift the Sanctions."

However, the idea that Iraqi freedom was the main goal or inspiration of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is equally false. The Left is right when they point out that America's willingness to use military force to rescue people from tyranny seems only to apply to the neigborhood of the Persian Gulf, where those tyrannies ultimately threaten the trade in oil. Or, as in Afghanistan, to countries from which palpable, immediate, threats to the U.S. eminate. ("Threats to American hegemony" in the dingbat parlance of the left.) Note that there is no movement in the U.S. or any other Western country to liberate Zimbabwe from the tyranny of Robert Mugabe, although many Zimbabweans would no doubt greet the marines with cheers and flowers. Mugabe, for all his faults, does not consort with (international) terrorists, harbor weapons of mass destruction or threaten the physical or economic well being of the U.S. of the West in any way.

The war in Iraq was fought on behalf of U.S. national interests: Keeping weapons of mass destruction out of terrorists' hands, keeping Sadaam from threatening the oil trade in the gulf. Even Iraqi freedom itself serves the American national interests: So long as Arabs are opressed by their own governments, the U.S. and Isreal will always be the scapegoats. Afghanistan, as noted above, is as close to a classical defensive war as you are likely to find in the 21st century. Isreal's war with the Palestinian Authority is, likewise, a war of self preservation.

Instead of saying that wars are no longer fought on behalf of national self interest, it would be better to say that wars of national self interest are no longer the total wars of the 20th century. Today's wars are more like the wars of the Napoleanic era. They are fought by professional soldiers and aimed at specific, political objectives. Destruction in civilian areas is minimized because it never serves, and usually undermines, the political goals of war. Conquest and occupation create more problems than they solve. Democratization serves our interests in pacifying countries like Iraq and Afghanistan without the hassle of having to rule those countries by force.

Yours truly,

Doug Petrilla
Submitting....

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Reader comments (33) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Chuck Wagen HAGEL -- DHIMMI OF THE MONTH [68 words]james burkeOct 30, 2009 08:04163817
War's New Face [124 words]H. BendorAug 4, 2003 10:5810436
A joke? [32 words]Plain TruthApr 21, 2003 22:508523
governing relgion [220 words]Paul WilliamApr 20, 2003 23:588487
Hooray! [31 words]Richard munsonApr 20, 2003 21:358484
My comments to Garry Prior: [177 words]Jeanne GravesApr 20, 2003 09:448475
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet! [131 words]AvrahamApr 19, 2003 23:148474
Great Minds Think Alike [98 words]Arlinda DeAngelisApr 19, 2003 17:008473
Bravery vs. stupidity [74 words]M. SimonApr 19, 2003 16:378471
marketing wars new face... [372 words]Marc MolinoApr 18, 2003 15:178452
US of A [220 words]Mike O'HearnApr 18, 2003 09:178447
But has it been effective? [281 words]Tom PensylApr 17, 2003 23:018442
We Can't Afford War and Restoration [124 words]catherineIHApr 17, 2003 19:218438
Another decline: Disappearance of treason? [98 words]F VoshellApr 17, 2003 16:218435
Competitive Advantage [95 words]Bill HadneyApr 17, 2003 15:478432
Well written and persuasive [2 words]George W. Kunzman, Jr.Apr 17, 2003 15:328429
Changes in modern warfare [443 words]Doug PetrillaApr 17, 2003 15:258428
The face of war obscured.... [392 words]Shep FargotsteinApr 17, 2003 14:048425
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Changing culture [84 words]Chad DesLauriersApr 17, 2003 12:438423
War with a new face [143 words]Vasudev GodboleApr 17, 2003 10:428422
Go read "The Art of War", etc. [185 words]Deran EatonApr 17, 2003 09:288421
Let's change the language of war [583 words]Garry PriorApr 17, 2003 02:588417
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What to do About Arafat [77 words]Paul M. NevilleApr 16, 2003 19:538410
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only half of the story [30 words]Steve SaafApr 16, 2003 16:218404
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Article on Transformation of War [178 words]David BrownApr 16, 2003 09:478390
Paradoxical [229 words]Glenn KlotzApr 16, 2003 08:578388

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