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You realize you never actually won a war either, right?
Andrew Exum at Abu Muqawama is mocking the Pakistani Army:
I, for one, fail to see why the Pakistani military and security services continue to enjoy such a privileged position in Pakistan. Has it escaped the notice of Pakistan's 180+ million people that their proud, pampered army has never actually won a war? Or that it committed horrific war crimes in Bangladesh (en route to defeat, naturally)? Or that its support for Lashkar-e Taiba has endangered the security of every Pakistani man, woman and child by risking a massive Indian counterstrike?
Glasshouse, stone …
What please is the last war the U.S. has won?
In World War II the U.S. beat the Japanese. While the U.S. is still bragging about victory over Germany it was actually beaten by the Soviets. Operation Overlord and the battle of Normandy was just a diversion from the much more massive Soviet Operation Bagration which broke the back of the Wehrmacht.
And after World War II I do not see any war the U.S. has really won. And no, Grenada does not count. The Korea War ended in a stalemate at the 38th parallel north, just where it had started. The Vietnam War certainly wasn't a victory. While the 1991 war against Iraq put the Kuwaiti Emir back into power, it did not beat Saddam into submission. The 2003 war against Iraq will end with a strategic loss when the U.S. is leaving at the end of this year. In Afghanistan the war will also likely end with a U.S. retreat.
A good Pakistani response to Exum's arrogance should therefore read:
I, for one, fail to see why the U.S. military and security services continue to enjoy such a privileged position in the United States. Has it escaped the notice of the U.S.'s 300+ million people that since 1945 their proud, pampered army has never actually won a war? Or that it committed horrific war crimes in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan (en route to defeat, naturally)? Or that its support for Mujaheddin against the Soviets endangered the security of every U.S. man, woman and child by risking a massive counterstrike which came on 9/11 and which cost you $3 trillion?
Morocco Bama’s top post 1, was my first reaction to b’s post.
War is just a business, and increasingly the dominating, armed, threatening, etc. are just offshoots of many different actors – overwhelmingly corporate interests.
As ben, 2, more or less says, the purpose of the aggression is to show force, threaten to use back-up might in any situation. Wild bombing, killing, takeover, etc. has to be implemented from time to time – not to win anything, or conquer any territory, but simply to show it can be done, any time, any place, for any reason.
Part of the reason US-poodle uk – EU – NATO (rough..) powers intervene, in Lybia for ex. right now, is that letting events unfold without showing one’s power creds, intervening, is not an option.
How it all turns out is not of much, or any, importance.
Tunisia was ‘let go’ because Ben Ali and ‘mafia’ family were the ultimate horrendous thieves and they had the balls, Gasp! to steal from Big Corps and seemingly ignore who the real overlords were.
The whole International Corporate circuit wanted the BenAliGroup (TM, joke) gone. (Gossip I heard; Mubarak was by contrast a legalist and faithful servant.)
The threat of military aggression is covertly used in board rooms, in international meets, at the UN, in hotel room deals, in Corp meets, in many venues – the US is the military hegemon and if you don’t bend you will no longer have a living, as all the ppl who worked for you will de deaded, or your area will be turned into WasteLand, your contacts, markets, workers, voters – ghosts, all.
If that seems outlandish and needlessly extravagant or unsubtle, laughable, well, there is always extra-judicial murder.
Obama just demonstrated that he can order killings of any kind and be applauded for it.
The US+allies are implementing a policy of de-development where ‘natives‘ no longer have access to energy, food, social/med services, jobs, they become non-consumers without any claims or rights, as in Iraq and Afgh, and, increasingly, in the US itself.
Posted by: Noirette | May 10 2011 16:15 utc | 20
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