The Cedar Revolution Lives!

I am a little late to the celebration, but I am celebrating nonetheless:

In Lebanon, Hizballah was handed an electoral defeat, despite their alliance with the Christian leader, GEN Auon. My Lebanese friends were delighted by the election results. When asked about GEN Auon, they could only shake their heads at his betrayal. They said that he was so eager to become President that he was willing to make a deal with the devil. Sadly, that isn’t uncommon, but their reaction expresses the bitter disappointment such a betrayal naturally produces. Yet, despite this alliance that for a time looked like it would emerge the victor; the pro-Western, pro-US government of Lebanon won. The Cedar Revolution continues. My friend could hardly contain his glee at the results and went on, “and now it will make things difficult in Tehran”.

It would seem that there is some difficulty for the Iranian Regime at this time, but with the future very much in doubt. Are we witnessing just another Prague Spring of 1968 or something more akin to 1989 across the former Eastern Bloc. Only Time will tell what the results will be.

The Long War

During down times during the work days the staff will occasionally congregate in an office, lean back in the chair, and talk. We don't necessarily talk about our day or sports, but the Global War on Terror, the future of Energy and the Environment, Economic Freedom, etc. Yesterday we were wondering if this is what a "Think Tank" does all day. If it is, we all agreed, it is the job we desire. An opportunity to lean back and be paid to talk about the world and ideas.

We had the conversation about the meaning of victory in the War on Terror. What I think very few Americans understand is that there won't be a "Mission Accomplished" moment in the Global War on Terror. While one can debate the correctness of former President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech, it was for an event that perhaps had an actual end, the overthrow of Saddam. The Global War on Terror is a different animal entirely.

The Global War on Terror should properly be viewed as The Long War. It is a war whose end we won't perhaps see in our lifetime, yet it is a war that is certainly worth fighting. Bill Roggio maintains one of the best blogs on the internet at The Long War Journal. The blog is properly named and charts the long war (eight years so far) against Islamic (Takfiri/Salafist) Terrorism. His site doesn't just track the War in Afghanistan or Iraq against Al Qaeda and Shi'a Extremists, but also the War on Terror in the Horn of Africa, in the Maghreb (North Africa), Pakistan, and the Philippines. It is a site that merits one's time and attention because through it one can see just how GLOBAL the Global War on Terror is and has become.

But what is victory? Victory in Iraq was overthrowing Saddam - in that sense the Mission was accomplished. However, there is also more to Iraq that removing Saddam. Now we are both building the first attempt at a democratic nation in the Islamic Middle-East and defeating a violent terrorist network. Neither goal is easy and Congress, former President Bush, and President Obama understand that and have articulated that fact.

Yet when we leave, and the Bi-Lateral Security Agreement (SOFA) puts that end in site, is it over? The answer is no. In reality, we won't be able to judge Iraq a success or a failure in 2010. We won't be able to do it in 2011 or 2012. 2015 will be a stretch as well but by 2020 we might be able to formulate an initial judgment. Even then, as a war of ideas and for the very soul of a society, it will continue long after.

The American Civil War ended in 1865, yet one could certainly argue that victory really wasn't achieved (in that the Emancipation Proclamation made the war about slavery) until 1964, nearly 100 years afterwards. Others would argue that it wasn’t until 2008, when America elected her first Black President, that victory (equality, an idea) was truly achieved.

In many ways, that long view of history is the lens through which we must view the Global War on Terror. It is a war against a violent Takfiri/Salafist ideology within Islam that will take generations to defeat.

It is the Long War.

Why Doesn't the Media Show these Pictures?

In recent weeks we've heard the Media lament President Obama's wise decision NOT to release any more photographs of Abu Ghraib and other possible cases of detainee abuse. I'm surprised the release was even considered in the first place, but ultimately, wisdom prevailed. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki also reportedly asked President Obama not to release the photographs and I imagine that request also played into the President's decision.

President Obama made an excellent decision. The Media (mainly MSNBC, that bastion of insanity) however decries this lack of transparency and calls for the pictures to be released. This is the same Media that can hardly find a good thing to say about the men and women of the US Military (Steven Colbert, FOX News, Lou Dobbs (though he can be kinda nutty on immigration), and a few others at ABC not withstanding). I was recently forwarded a prayer wheel that showed the real story of Iraq in pictures. These are the pictures that some apparently don't want people to see, they would characterize the men and women of the US Military not as monsters who revel in the torture and degradation of the Iraqi people but as upstanding human beings who care.

D-Day

There are few military anniversaries that enjoy the universal recognition of "D-Day". Because of this universal recognition and its key role (from the Western perspective) in defeating Hitler's Germany, it is an accessible gateway to Military History and World War II.

The American War Effort during World War II epitomizes everything it means about being an American. It was a war fought for the Freedom of a Continent (even if that Freedom would take nearly fifty years for some parts of Central and Eastern Europe). It was fought by a fully mobilized American population whose single-minded goal was the defeat of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. It was fought by a strong-willed people who had the strength to endure defeat and face-down tremendous odds with the knowledge that the Tide Would Turn. World War II (and the Normandy Campaign) demonstrated the awesome power that the Arsenal of Freedom could bring to bear on an enemy when it was focused on a single aim.

Yet, it is difficult to look back on World War II and the Normandy Campaign and not feel a hint of Nostalgia for the past. The generation that fought World War II is rightly called the Greatest Generation. But America has come a long way from that generation. Could America fight World War II today? The answer I fear is no. If that is the answer, our apathy, our lack of national will, our lack of strength undermines all that "D-Day" embodies. We are in essence, a radically different country.

On this anniversary of D-Day, it is good and right to remember what that Generation did on the Beaches of Normandy and in the fields and in the air. But we should also resolve to try and imitate that Generation's noble example. We should strive to make ourselves worthy of their sacrifice and truly Thank them for their gift.

And on a side note, go watch the Longest Day, it is perhaps the greatest World War II movie ever made.

Memorial Day

"The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart. . .should swell into a mighty chorus of remembrance, gratitude and rededication on this solemn occasion."
-- Abraham Lincoln

On Memorial Day we remember those who gave all so that we could enjoy the fruits of freedom in this Great Country. It is good that we give pause and remember, because it ensures that those heroes who gave all are not forgotten. Julie Gunlock has some Memorial Day suggestions for how to remember this day at National Review Online.

One of the activities I most enjoyed in my trips to Washington, D.C. was traveling to Arlington National Cemetary. There is something powerful about seeing the row on row of white tombstones on that hallowed group that loudly declare that while Freedom is Not Free, there are many who have answered that call to serve something greater than themselves.

Remember.

Jazzah

I will be going on Mid-Tour R&R this week. Needless to say I am quite excited to finally be going on my Jazzah. Jazzah is the Iraqi term for leave. I'm not sure what it exactly translates as, but it's one of the Iraqi Words for vacation. Now, the Iraqi Army and other Security Forces have a quite liberal Jazzah Policy. It seriously seems like they get a day off for every day or two they work. It's a shame our Jazzah policy isn't the same, LOL. Then again, if it was, we wouldn't be able to accomplish anything, which might explain some of the problems the Iraqi Security Forces tend to have.

I've recently come across an excellent site for getting information on the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. It provides more historical context and has some great references to see the progress in the conflict in Iraq.

The Institute for the Study of War (That definitely sounds like a dream job: What's your Job? Oh, I Study War) in partnership with the Weekly Standard offers an incredibly broad comprehensive reference for individual operations, politics, and maps to track the various battlefields in the War on Terror. Here's the link and I heartily encourage everyone to check it out and play around the site. I have spent quite a bit of time on it putting together an Offier Professional Development on the History of Diyala. I can't email the product out, because its 13MBs. I wish I had known about the site prior to the deployment because it would have been an incredible resource in educating myself about past-CF operations in the area. The next link is specifically for Diyala Province.

It is an example of some of the heavyweight scholars who are doing some serious scholarship and research on the War in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would recommend adding this to one's reading of the Global War on Terror (joining the Long War Journal, Michael Yon, and the Iraq Report).

Guarding the Pass

It hasn't been in the news lately (for various reasons), but the Military is doing phenomenally well in terms of retention. My battalion is only a few soldiers away from completing its mission for retention for the entire fiscal year, and April isn't even over yet. So far my Brigade has had over one thousand soldiers re-enlist. In a Brigade of around 4500 soldiers, that is a phenomenally successful retention rate.

The 172 SBCT retained 1200 soldiers last deployment (in and of itself, a significant number), a number my current brigade will likely pass. While less than 1% of the United States population serves in the US Armed Forces (at any one time) and at most 10-15% have served, that population is certainly incredibly dedicated. I am personally impressed by the strength that enables some individuals to serve their third or fourth deployment in the GWOT, while I'm tuckered out at 2. The re-enlistment in the military has been going strong since 2001, even if recruitment did not always follow suit.

Recruitment is picking up as well and the military is tightening up restrictions to slow the numbers entering the military. I am definitely impressed by the numbers who are willing to re-sign to do this again, because even as Iraq winds down, Afghanistan will spin up and they will be back in the field again.

Military Service is essential to the survival of any nation. Our Republic is built on the sacrifice of those who have gone before and worn the uniform. Our nation's proud tradition of Citizen Soldiering is part of the very fabric of our past.

It is certainly a blessing that this country has so many young men and women who are willing to stand up and serve their country. It would be nice if there were still more.