If this is true, then there is no Soviet Union preventing us from securing the country. There will be no unending war because the real threats in Iraq will be neutralized. We could not have won Vietnam without confronting the USSR or China, which would have resulted in nuclear war. This can't happen in Iraq right now.

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"It is extremely difficult for our contemporaries to conceive of the conditions of free banking because they take government interference with banking for granted and as necessary"

-- Ludwig von Mises

I think the biggest mistake was disbanding the Iraqi military the way they did. The US already had a trained fighting force established, it just needed to change that force's direction, which I think would have been easier than building a new army from scratch.

I agree with you, that was the main mistake.

I did post something similar on a thread several months back, but some smart-@ss replied that the 'biggest mistake' was to invade in the first place. Still nobody is perfect and a very good job is being done -for a very good reason of freedom liberty and Democracy.

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Russian Imperialism is a greater danger to the World today than AlQueda terrorism

That smart-@ss was correct, invading was our biggest mistake. Staying there was our second biggest mistake, and disbanding their military was our third biggest mistake.

*Just a general (no pun intended) of the overall trend I see w/ civilian bloggers and just the average "Joe Poster" who read a few articles in Newsweek and all of a sudden think this qualifies as an informed Military strategist/tactician*

"We should've done this, we should've done that"

Frankly it's laughable.....

Here's a short list of just what a Mid-Level Officer considers "light reading" on the topic~

Air Power in the New Counterinsurgency Era: The Strategic Importance of USAF Advisory and Assistance Missions

The Counterterror Coalitions: Cooperation with Europe, NATO, and the European Union

The Counterterrorism Handbook: Tactics, Procedures, and Techniques. New
Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terror: Military Culture and Irregular War.

Pseudo Operations in Counterinsurgency: Lessons from Other Countries.

Training Indigenous Forces in Counterinsurgency: A Tale of Two Insurgencies.

Counterterrorism and Contingency Planning Guide

Counterterrorism in African Failed States: Challenges and Potential Solutions.

State Terrorism in the United States: From Counterinsurgency to the War on Terrorism.

Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy: Can the American Way of War Adapt?

Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq

Does Our Counter-Terrorism Strategy Match the Threat?

Irregular Warfare: Counterinsurgency Challenges in Perspectives: Final Report. Fort Leavenworth, KS, U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center, 2006.

Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency.

Defeating Complex Insurgency: Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan.

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in the 21st Century: Reconceptualizing Threat and Response.

Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism

When Devils Walk the Earth: The Mentality and Roots of Terrorism, and How to Respond. Quantico, VA, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, 2004.

Afghanistan and the Troubled Future of Unconventional Warfare.

Strategic Challenges for Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terrorism

Communist Revolutionary Warfare: From Vietminh to the Viet Cong.

The Counter-Insurgency Manual: Tactics of the Anti-Guerrilla Professionals.

Chasing Ghosts: Unconventional Warfare in American History
A Hundred Osamas: Islamist Threats and the Future of Counterinsurgency.

The Importance of Ethics in Counterinsurgency Operations. Fort Leavenworth, KS, School of Advanced Military Studies, Army Command and General Staff College, May 2006.

Observing al Qaeda Through the Lens of Complexity Theory: Recommendations for the National Strategy to Defeat Terrorism. Carlisle Barracks, PA, Army War College, 2004.

The Air Force and the War on Terror. Carlisle Barracks, PA, Army War College, March 2006.

The Vital Role of Intelligence in Counterinsurgency Operations. Carlisle Barracks, PA, Army War College, March 2006.

Back to the Basics: An Aviation Solution to Counter Insurgency Warfare. Maxwell AFB, AL, Air Command and Staff College, April 2005.

Defense Science Board Task Force on Force Protection in Urban and Unconventional Environments. Washington, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, March 2006.

Unconventional Counter-Insurgency in Africa. Monterey, CA, Naval Postgraduate School,

Counterinsurgency: The Role of Paramilitaries. Monterey, CA, Naval Postgraduate School, December 2004.

Comparison of the Security Strategies of the United States and the European Union: Is There a Common Approach in Combating Terrorism? Fort Leavenworth, KS, School of Advanced Military Studies, Army Command and General Staff College, 2005.

United States Counterinsurgency Doctrine and Implementation in Iraq. Fort Leavenworth, KS, Army Command and General Staff College, June 2004.

C'mon thats not fair - for example you could say that the British Empire was built on its supremacy in Naval power, from its construction of ships and its unique well trained fighting tactics.

Well read about John Clerk of Eldin, that as someone who never went to sea, but listened to stories from Naval personal and studied naval battles then after the British defeat at Chesapeake - he decided to start to publish his ideas about Naval warfare. The Fighting instructions and an easay on Naval tattics followed. These were adopted by the Britsh Navay and directly led to many victories including the battle of Trafalgar 1805

All this from a wee Scotsman that never went to sea...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Clerk_of_Eldin


More evidence if any was ever needed when I say "Scotland invented England"

thanks

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Russian Imperialism is a greater danger to the World today than AlQueda terrorism

And you weren't quite smart enough to think of it yourself -











although you do make some very valid comments sometimes

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Russian Imperialism is a greater danger to the World today than AlQueda terrorism

My comments weren't intended to be 'poster' specific; just an overall comment that some folks think they know better than the Military professionals running the day to day operations.

I certainly don't pretend that I do. This is why I refrain from specific comments on Operations...I trust the Military professionals; not some 'blogger dude' posting in his pajamas from Mommy's basement.

I knew it would be a mistake over 5 years ago when that sorry excuse we have for a president first proposed it.