Pure
Fiel a Verdad
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2001
- Posts
- 15,135
ALSO, a way that is in according to international law, shows some principle, and avoids total demolition of everything above and below ground.?
Shang suggest a go round on this, particular with reference to the claims that invading Iraq to counter terrorism is proving counterproductive.
Let me state some problems with formulating the question: An insurgency is an armed attempt to topple or seriously affect the gov't in power. Putting down an insurgency, then, is a way that one side, usually the ruling or occupying side, tries to deflate or demolish the other. There are military and economic approaches: shooting 'bandits' as compared to making sure the families in the insurgent area have adequate food, shelter, and amenities including safety.
A related question is the use of terrorism on non-battlefield, civilian targets, e.g., the 9-11 attacks, presumably on behalf of some cause elsewhere, e.g. restoring the Islamic Caliphate. The IRA bombing of Harrods.
So there are two questions: 1) does military might work? are there alternatives to military might to eliminate resistance? 2) is the military might, the counterinsurgency, a JUST undertaking (e.g. Chinese methods in Tibet; Russian methods in Chechnya).
Let me start the ball rolling by proposing a marxist, somewhat maoist perspective: Assuming an "insurgency" represents the people, the majority and real gains for them, it cannot be suppressed over the long run: An example is Algeria. Of course this rules out nuclear demolition; poison gas on a massive scale. etc. Mr. Lansdale and all his tactics simply cannot cope, no matter how skillful or "surgical"--as the US says-- are one's methods.
Counterinsurgency is largely a gimmick or a pipe dream, whose successes, absent massive slaughter (which always 'works) are as scarce as hens teeth, e.g. Malaysia, post WWII.
As to "international terrorism", if there is any one entity: fighting it with guns and bombs (Iraq) or police measures (Northern Ireland and England) is usually going to be an exercize in futility. In cases where there is no "Home Base," it's utterly unknown how to fight it.
Shang suggest a go round on this, particular with reference to the claims that invading Iraq to counter terrorism is proving counterproductive.
Let me state some problems with formulating the question: An insurgency is an armed attempt to topple or seriously affect the gov't in power. Putting down an insurgency, then, is a way that one side, usually the ruling or occupying side, tries to deflate or demolish the other. There are military and economic approaches: shooting 'bandits' as compared to making sure the families in the insurgent area have adequate food, shelter, and amenities including safety.
A related question is the use of terrorism on non-battlefield, civilian targets, e.g., the 9-11 attacks, presumably on behalf of some cause elsewhere, e.g. restoring the Islamic Caliphate. The IRA bombing of Harrods.
So there are two questions: 1) does military might work? are there alternatives to military might to eliminate resistance? 2) is the military might, the counterinsurgency, a JUST undertaking (e.g. Chinese methods in Tibet; Russian methods in Chechnya).
Let me start the ball rolling by proposing a marxist, somewhat maoist perspective: Assuming an "insurgency" represents the people, the majority and real gains for them, it cannot be suppressed over the long run: An example is Algeria. Of course this rules out nuclear demolition; poison gas on a massive scale. etc. Mr. Lansdale and all his tactics simply cannot cope, no matter how skillful or "surgical"--as the US says-- are one's methods.
Counterinsurgency is largely a gimmick or a pipe dream, whose successes, absent massive slaughter (which always 'works) are as scarce as hens teeth, e.g. Malaysia, post WWII.
As to "international terrorism", if there is any one entity: fighting it with guns and bombs (Iraq) or police measures (Northern Ireland and England) is usually going to be an exercize in futility. In cases where there is no "Home Base," it's utterly unknown how to fight it.