Freedom for Syria and Libya

[Bob Butler 54]

(01-22-2017, 04:14 AM)Galen Wrote:

(01-21-2017, 08:37 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I think they did come together pretty well, and have put up a brave fight. The proxy war was the problem; Assad had more long-standing and willing allies who actually intervened (Russia, Iran and its proxy terrorist groups); the freedom-fighters only had token material and financial support from the USA and some similar support from Turkey, the Gulf States and Europe, and allies in the fight from Al Nusra.

I see that you have, along with most Boomers currently, reached the "Make War, Not Love" stage of your life.  It is pretty obvious that the anti-war principles of the hippies lasted until they were safely beyond military service age.

During Bush 43's Iraq War II, the blues were crying quagmire while the reds were stay the course.  I'd say the anti war blue values stuck pretty much until the end of Iraq War II.  That war pretty well illustrated what the Pentagon knew back in Vietnam days.  It takes a lot of boots on the ground to suppress an insurrection style conflict.  The Pentagon told both LBJ and Bush 43 the troop levels required to suppress insurrection.  Both presidents ordered the military in with less than what the Pentagon textbooks said was required.  Result... bloody quagmires.

My feeling is that we have had something of a values change on both sides of the partisan divide.  Iraq War II made it clear that we can do nation building at gunpoint, but the expense in blood, gold and iron is so great that we ought not do it.  There is a reluctance today to commit the boots on the ground required.  Powell's Questions aren't being ignored.

Trump?  Does he really think he knows more than the generals?  He talked as if he was going to use the military more often and to better effect than in the recent past.  Will the lessons learned from Bush 43's wars be forgotten?

We'll see.  I'm not going to chant 'Make love, not war'... or vice versa.  I'm going to ask Powell's Questions.  I'm not going to advocate large numbers of boots on the ground unless there are good answers...

Wiki Wrote:The Powell Doctrine states that a list of questions all have to be answered affirmatively before military action is taken by the United States:

• Is a vital national security interest threatened?
  
• Do we have a clear attainable objective?
  
• Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
  
• Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
  
• Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
  
• Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
  
• Is the action supported by the American people?
  
• Do we have genuine broad international support?