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But has it been effective?

Reader comment on item: War's New Face

Submitted by Tom Pensyl (United States), Apr 17, 2003 at 23:01

Unfortunately our enemies don't see this new so-called humane war in the same light as we do. They see it as weakness. Just look at the results. Has it brought a true end of the conflict? Has it ended the terrorism in Israel? Not by a long shot. Is democracy blossoming in Afganistan? Hardly. Only time will tell about Iraq but the Shiites are already preparing to be ruled by their religious authorities.

This talk about a new humane kind of warfare seems to be ignoring several crucial realities.

For one thing, the Arabs as a whole will NEVER accept Israel. For every Anwar Saddat or King of Jordan there will be two or three Arafats or Saddam Husseins along with the Hezbolla and Hamas.

And for all that can be said about the Arab's failure to produce anything useful to the world, they are damn good at creating a populating explosion. Whether you like it or not, a large population is a resource from which can be drawn armies or suicide volunteers.

Islam has never and will never produce a society like that of the U.S.A. The goal of making democracy in Iraq is nothing more than wishful thinking.

The point I'm trying to make is that effective war will bring true peace when one side or the other is crushed, defeated and have no fight left in them. Effective war will recognize the enemy in it's totality (which is to say it's intellectual/spiritual basis as well as physical armies) and it will engage destructive power on it until the opposition is destroyed and discredited. Our "humane" war does not accomplish this and so the conflict goes on and on and on.
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
Anti-Israel bigotry: How to Dehumanize Israeli Civilians - Academically [741 words]NicolasAug 18, 2020 11:088425
1939 Palestine - already terrorists used human shields - Mufti's man [672 words]HistoJun 23, 2021 09:358425
Hanas arrests Mustafa Asfour for criticizing using human shields - HRW's / racist Arab Omar Shakir: quiet.. [193 words]OmarAug 14, 2021 18:018425
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
timidity of non-hostile moslems [73 words]Joseph WechslerApr 16, 2003 21:528414
What to do About Arafat [77 words]Paul M. NevilleApr 16, 2003 19:538410
Changing face of war [181 words]Chip SwitzerApr 16, 2003 17:288407
Words save blood - so give words a chance [235 words]Glen WishardApr 16, 2003 17:258406
only half of the story [30 words]Steve SaafApr 16, 2003 16:218404
We show them our tactics [207 words]Del Jones, CPPApr 16, 2003 16:188403
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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