erzliberal.de

1. "Ideology makes a poor substitute for strategy."
Our mission in Iraq, after the deposition of Saddam, was fueled by our enthusiasm for American ideals. "Policymakers both Democratic and Republican," observes Bacevich, "uncorked old vials of Wilsonian illusion."

2. "Wars leave loose ends."
Wonderful, concise language. "The United States has exchanged the limited burdens of containment for the far more onerous burdens of occupation."

3. "Allies have choices-and will exercise them."
"Nations whose support we once assumed to be a given now question the acceptability of the Pax Americana and may yet muster the collective will to proffer an alternative." Thus, the fragmented coalition against Saddam threatens NATO solidarity.

4. "'Shock and awe' gets you only so far."
This is very plain, and the author concludes, "The United States military is no closer today to devising a technological solution to the riddle of unconventional war than it was when Vietnam ended in defeat."

5. "The margin of U.S. military supremacy is thinner than advertised."
The shortage of our straitened military resources is every day visible. We have called up reserves for the first time in decades. We needed to move forces from South Korea to Iraq. And in Iraq, with 140,000 U.S. troops, we can't yet guarantee safe passage from the Baghdad airport to Baghdad.

6. "The myth of American casualty aversion is just that."
This point is not self-establishing, but the author is saying that our failure to press the war conclusively, for fear of increased casualties, denies the purposiveness of the American will.

7. "So too [is it a myth] that there is an American genius for spreading democracy."
We aren't particularly good at it, says Bacevich, so we should devise fresh ideas. Meanwhile, consider the possibility that "bringing democracy to the Arab world is akin to making bricks without straw."

8. And a more obvious point, "It's hard to win when you don't know whom you're fighting."
Who's the boss over there in Iraq? And how do we digest the fact that there are more insurgents today than a year ago?

Labels: Neo-Konservativismus, USA

{Link} geschrieben von Dirk @ 11:48 AM