An interview with Michael Yon (podcast);
“I see progress being made here now. I see the surge working, and it’s working faster than I actually thought it could.”
UPDATE Lots more – a new entry by Michael Totten
“This is not what I expected in Baghdad,” I said.
“Most of what we’re doing doesn’t get reported in the media,” he said. “We’re not fighting a war here anymore, not in this area. We’ve moved way beyond that stage. We built a soccer field for the kids, bought all kinds of equipment, bought them school books and even chalk. Soon we’re installing 1,500 solar street lamps so they have light at night and can take some of the load off the power grid. The media only covers the gruesome stuff. We go to the sheiks and say hey man, what kind of projects do you want in this area? They give us a list and we submit the paperwork. When the projects get approved, we give them the money and help them buy stuff.”
Not everything they do is humanitarian work, unless you consider counter-terrorism humanitarian work. In my view, you should. Few Westerners think of personal security as a human right, but if you show up in Baghdad I’ll bet you will. Personal security may, in fact, be the most important human right. Without it the others mean little. People aren’t free if they have to hide in their homes from death squads and car bombs.
Lots of photos, there.
If you were thinking of donating to SDA this month, consider sending it to Michael Totten or Michael Yon instead. They do the work – I just spread the word.
And if you can’t, then do the next best thing, and pass this link along to your friends. And your Member of Parliament.
And more from Mudville Gazette: Monday, 23 July 2007 – While you were sleeping.
Good news to some …. I see the principle of greater and unrelenting force in conflict to be a sure recipe for success. The only way you can screw it up is to miss your targets or quit before you’ve destroyed them or their will to continue.
Call me a cheerleader!
OMMAG….I wish I could share your enthusiasm.
But the coalition of the stubborn still don’t get it.
This is not a ‘normal’ war fighting an identifiable enemy where ground aquisition is everything.Sh*t,even our supposed allies in this war,Saudi Arabia,Pakistan,etc are known strongholds for the enemy.
So much for the bullsh*t bravado and empty rhetoric of “you’re either with us or against us”.
The enemy knows it only has to last until it assassinates enough Americans so they lose the stomach for this war and go home.The traitorous western msm has repeatedly shown them that is a solid tactic and they can see it is already working effectively.
The war in Iraq technically ended when the weak-kneed dems won this past election.Anyone who believes this new offensive will change anything is living in la-la land.(I would love nothing more than to be proven totally wrong…but I won’t be holding my breath.)
It’s time we cut our losses,leave these uncivilized bastards to kill each other(for they have always been very good at that)and manage the war on terror from a distance.
By that I mean with satellites,strong intelligence,cruise missiles and commando raids.
I think enough good young Americans have died for a people who obviously have no respect or desire for creating an inclusive democratic and tolerant society.
F*ck the entire Middle East and the terrorist cowards they all consistently provide support and safe haven for.
“It’s time we cut our losses,leave these uncivilized bastards to kill each other(for they have always been very good at that)and manage the war on terror from a distance.
By that I mean with satellites,strong intelligence,cruise missiles and commando raids.”
Can’t really disagree with that statment, but for that to happn (or to be effective) first and foremost the US must revoke or otherwise make invalid the Presidential Directive form Ford’s era that made assasination of a Head of State illegal.
We go to the sheiks and say hey man, what kind of projects do you want in this area? They give us a list and we submit the paperwork. When the projects get approved, we give them the money and help them buy stuff.
And this was said unironically with straight face and no tongue in cheek?
Yeah, they like when we buy ’em stuff. They’re keen on jizya.
So everything’s just peachy in Iraq, eh?
Wonderful! Let’s leave, starting NOW.
The war on terror will be won or lost here in the West, not in Iraq or Afghanistan. As we are still allowing hundreds of thousands (millions?) of Muslims to emigrate to the West every year, we are going down to defeat. Maybe future generations will decide to take this war seriously and stop the mass inflow of our sworn enemies. Until then let’s quit wasting time, money and lives trying to civilize the uncivilizable over in the Middle East aka Satan’s sandbox.
Use of greater and unrelenting force is exactly the wrong approach to take in a counter-insurgency. You just make more enemies and turn the population into willing supporters of the insurgents. It’s what they did for the first three years and we saw how well that worked.
With the arrival of Gen. Petraeus the U.S. finally began applying the lessons of a century of counter-insurgency and the results are bearing fruit. Hopefully Congress won’t pull the rug out from under him before success is achieved.
If there is one word, I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq — on the streets, in the countryside, in the neighborhoods and at the national level — that word would be fear.
Interesting regarding the success of the surge:
Just released:
” . . . number of unidentified bodies in the capital has risen again to pre-surge levels over the last two months.”
Seems that the only place the “surge” is working is in the White House and the Republican Congress.
And, really not so much with the Republican Congress as November 2008 approaches.
Seems that the only place the “surge” is working is in the White House and the Republican Congress.
Completely incorrect. Areas where the increased level of U.S. and Iraqi forces have established a permament presence and patrol bases have seen remarkable improvement and decrease in levels of violence. There are other areas yet to be pacified (including about half of Baghdad), but that is an ongoing process. Read Yon’s update for more information on what is being done differently today.
It is in everyone’s best interest – except perhaps the Jihadis – for the U.S. to succeed in Iraq. Iraqis know full well that a premature withdrawl will undoubtedly result in full-scale civil war and probably a regional war as well.
OTOH,
The Surge Succeeds
J.R. Dunn
w3.americanthinker.com/2007/07/the_surge_succeeds.html
A good piece with some interesting Vietnam parallels.
The Dems have painted themselves into a corner. They’ve staked their credibility on failure. The major ingredient of any successful counter-insurgency has been patience and with Petraeus in charge the enemy of the Dems and the jihadis, to whom the Dems have tied their fortunes, is time. Thus the Dems attempts to set deadlines or calls for immediate withdrawal. Success in Iraq would be a catastrophe for the Dems.
Thanks for the link, Me No Dhimmi. Very interesting article.
Canadian observer:
“It’s time we cut our losses, leave these uncivilised bastards to kill each other…”
Sure, that sounds good…Until a mushroom cloud rises over a Western city, and there are civilian casualties in the millions.
It’s a different world. What seemed rational in Kiplings’ time doesn’t apply today, unfortunately. We can pay a high price now, or a much higher price later.
I really don’t think “management from a distance” will ensure our defense. Or that we can take that risk.
As indicated elsewhere, I’m totally confused and don’t know whether I’m coming or going on this matter: maybe too much disappointment over earlier “happy face” stories.
I need to get off my too-negative view and at least acknowledge that the surge evidences a much smarter strategy. al-Queda has lost ground with its excessive brutality. As Dunn points out, Mao advised insurgents to be “good guests” which obviously al-Queda has not been, if you’ll excuse the understatement.
It’s weird because I’ve long held that the Americans really won Vietnam and that the MSM got it totally wrong in seeing the TET offensive as a US rout whereas of course the reverse was true. The enemy was decimated.
And as Dunn points out that erroneous TET narrative made it impossible to make headway after that.
Worried I may have come down with a touch of Vietnam Syndrome!
This is very simple. The technology of mass destruction has advanced to the point where half educated nutjobs can make terrible poisons in large quantities, and Third World dictatorships like Korea, Iran and Pakistan (yeah, don’t forget those guys) can make nukes.
And sell or give them to half educated nutjobs.
So the very idea of management from a distance is a non-starter. We either engage Iran and their ilk or we start losing cities.
Worried I may have come down with a touch of Vietnam Syndrome!
At this point the most important thing for the Americans to do is be determined and persevere. There will be further setbacks, but overall the tide has turned.
Phantom & M M…so what’s your solution?
Invade and occupy yet another Middle East country?
In case you haven’t noticed,the western world is already bogged down,and by most accounts,losing wars in two other ME countries.For chrissakes….many people in this country are already refusing to support our troops because they won’t support our war effort.
Where are you going to find the support for a new,even bigger Middle Eastern ground war?
And remember,Bush has already damaged his credibility by’crying wolf’once with the WMD scenario.Add to that the MSM’s anti-war tilt…
Iran’s nuclear facilities will be taken out by US cruise missle,or if they are the slightest bit tardy,the Israelis will rightfully act to preserve themselves.
Only the weapons need be fired from a distance…there is plenty more to do in the ME itself.Seems to me N.America was safest when Uncle Sam was active behind the scenes,supplying support and weapons to strategic factions.Muslims were far too busy killing each other to be bothered with us.
Just remember what two X North Vietnamese generals, now living in California, had to say several years ago. We were prepared to give it up and the only thing that kept us going and gave us hope was the anti war movement.
Does anyone here remember that, and if you do where was it? How many lives did Hanoi Jane cost?
Obviously the people who are saying “Screw them, let’s cut and run” didn’t read TFA.
Winning the war on terrorism, specifically in Iraq, the US military will have to do what the Liberal party in Canada has done so effectively: Ensure that people are dependent on them for their security.
It’s absolutely necessary for the Americans to stay there (note: going in was ridiculous in the first place). If they were to leave, all these kids mugging for the American cameras would be dependent on Sadr’s Army or Al Qaeda for their social safety net.
The war costs a lot, yes. It was stupid to invade, yes. Leaving is a good idea, NO!
We need to buy the love of Iraqis in a way that Allah and Al Qaeda could never.
Funny thing about Bush CRYING WOLF.
He is the only one who lost credibility.
Wonder why those who agreed that Iraq had WMD didnt lose credibility?
Who were these people who agreed?
Lets see – France, Britain, Germany, Israel, some of the finest intelligence operations in the world.
Lets not forget the U.S. Congress. They agreed as well. (mind you some of them agreed only until they disagreed)
ion…I think your logic is flawed.
At least recent history would seem to demonstrate so.
I believe there will NEVER be security in an American occupied ME country.It simply ain’t gonna happen.
Those kids may be smiling,but don’t fool yourself for a second thinking that they are safe.
Sadly,smiling children still die all too often in Iraq.
“Funny thing about Bush CRYING WOLF.
He is the only one who lost credibility.”
Lee….What do you expect?
He was the lead pitchman on the marketing team.
Canadian Observer,
I guess if the smiling children aren’t ‘safe’ we might as well just leave them to die. After all since Americans can’t secure (whatever definition that has today, the area where Todden is seems pretty secure) Iraq, they might as well just give up.
After all trying is the first step to failure (also success?).
If you’re going to say my logic is flawed at least point out where.
The war in Iraq was over when Bush declared that it was. Saddam and his army were decimated in short order.
This is a sectarian civil war, much the same as the British were dealing with in Ireland – other than language and the anti-human, alien religion of ‘hate everybody’ in play.
Though, a recent Pew research report says that Muslim support of suicide bombings and Osama has fallen 50% in Indonesia, and other non-Arab Islamic countries.
Still, we need another fuel source. And no Muslim immigration.
Respect and trust is freely given and easily lost.
The war in Iraq was over when Bush declared that it was.
No, that’s completely wrong. The war had barely begun at that point. The Americans did not anticipate the insurgency and they did not have a “Phase IV” plan for security and stability. Most of the military effort by the insurgents has had the goal of defeating the Americans, which makes it a continuation of the same war. The war cannot be considered over until the insurgency is defeated and security established – or the Americans leave in defeat. Let’s hope for the former.
Did they defeat Saddam’s Baathists? Yes, or no?
As to having a Marshall plan, they failed at that. However, they didn’t know that most of the terrorist insurgents would be Saudis, not Iraqis.
It’s great to have allies like that, don’t you think?
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2422646620070724?feedType=RSS
I have added the link to the global survey
“Confidence in bin Laden as a world leader was lower in seven Muslim countries led by Jordan, were support for the al Qaeda leader dropped from 56 percent in 2003 to 20 percent.”
It made me smile, Maybe… The many Millions Of good and decent Muslim people will stand up and say enough! Maybe…
Admittedly a complex and difficult conflict, but please, *Liberals*, it is too costly to quit and run home.
Moving fun liberal theories aside. Here is an attempt to sketch reality.
Maliki decided to *back off* when a smack down for for Muqtada and his black shirts was called for in Sadr City.
We saw Maliki and Acmahdinejad kissing each other profusely during a televised meeting.
So Maliki is strongly in favour of the Shia cause.
The West has to go along with a Shia leader because while the Sunni are an Iraq minority, they are not a minority in the wider region and could easily re-install a number of bad people well used to abusing power.
A dilemma to be sure, yet the recent trend of al Qaeda members giving up their evil leaders because they are sickened by the disgusting atrocities they promote daily, is a bright note indeed.
Grand Ayatolla Sistani may be more a moderate leader. = TG
Did they defeat Saddam’s Baathists? Yes, or no?
No. The Baathists formed the heart of the insurgency, and there is strong evidence that plans for it were in place before the American invasion. Many Sadaam Fedayeen and army units melted away after Baghdad was taken and continued fighting. The disastrous decision to disband the Iraqi army worsened the situation by leaving tens of thousands of former soldiers unemployed and disaffected. Large numbers of these became insurgents.
Most of the insurgents are not Saudis. Foreign fighters make up only a small percentage of the insurgency, and most of them are fighting with al-Qaeda.
4G war.
I agree, Belisarius, with the idea that some of the Baathists formed part of the insurgency. Not that they represent the bulk of it. Culturally, I don’t believe that’s likely.
I have read that Saudis represent most of the insurgents. Though, I’m too tired to google.
Do you have reference for your last sentence?
posted by Irwin: “Still, we need another fuel source.”
Not really. Here are the top 5 oil suppliers to the US. Saudi is currently down to 10% of the USA’s daily needs.
CANADA
SAUDI ARABIA
MEXICO
VENEZUELA
NIGERIA
Obviously, the US has strategically weaned itself from ME oil. Canada has greater reserves in the Tar Sands than all of Saudi did at its peak.
That said, we should still keep knocking heads in Iraq until economically the country prospers. That’s why the IRA finally lost. Southern Irelands entry into the EU and there flat tax business friendly administration crushed IRA support. Same could happen in Iraq, unless the democratic party and MSM have their way.
I don’t know why they are called “insurgents”. Can anyone tell me? The proper term is “Guerrillas”. Guerr is Spanish for War and the suffix “illa” means little.
Actually, terrorist is really the right term, because Guerrillas usually are fighting for a legitimate government although perhaps one in exile.
Did the “insurgent” term come from the MSM or the military?
Regardless, the rules of Guerrilla war determine that once the Guerrillas begin to loose territory and support of the indigenous people, they are doomed.
It would appear that is what is happening.
Irwin Daisy,
Composition of the Iraq insurgency (90% Iraqi):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/17/AR2006031702087_pf.html
Of the foreign insurgents, the largest single group is from Saudi Arabia (45%) which is what you might be thinking of:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-saudi15jul15,0,3818698,full.story?coll=la-home-center
Irwin Daisy,
Composition of the Iraq insurgency is believed to be about 90% Iraqi (Google “iraq insurgent groups”). Also discussed in the recent books “Cobra II” and “Fiasco”.
Of the foreign fighters, about 45% (the largest group) come from Saudi Arabia, which is what you might have been thinking of (recent LA Times article).
Canadian Observer said:
“…the western world is already bogged down,and by most accounts,losing wars in two other ME countries.”
This isn’t Dunkirk.
It’s not Ortona.
It’s not the Falais Gap.
It may seem the “world is already bogged down”, although I don’t understand why “the world” should feel bogged down; “the world” isn’t even there with the Americans, save for some 7000(?) British soldiers. The United States is doing ALL the slugging… to OUR eternal shame, meaning Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, fill-in-your-own-here. Yes, I know Canada is participating in the GWOT in Afghanistan, but no, Canada as a nation isn’t really with the American soldiers in Iraq; hell, half of America isn’t with them, either.
How much more could the world do? Canada, for example, had enlisted around 1,000,000 members of the armed forces between 1939 and 1945 (1,008,033, in case anyone is interested in the exact number…The Hamilton Spectator, July 26, 1945). For all that’s happened since the U.S. invasion in March, 2003, this whole affair is, frankly, a low level guerila war, with an innocent Iraqi population caught in a vise, as per usual. At least THIS time, they have some “good guys” fighting for their welfare. And they’re beginning to understand that.
A show of unity (read, backbone) by “The West” would have probably been all it would have taken to have it long since ended. But as Europe wasn’t under direct threat of invasion…
ion said:
“…(note: going in was ridiculous in the first place).”
I disagree. The West simply waited too long to try to establish a bridgehead in the heart of the Middle East, in my opinion. See my comments above, I guess.
Me No Dhimmi said:
“Worried I may have come down with a touch of Vietnam Syndrome!”
Don’t give in to it!
A few months ago I ran across an article at The American Enterprise Online entitled “Sleeping with the Enemy”, by James Webb.
http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleID.16181/article_detail.asp
I can’t get it to open up for me this evening… see if it works some time later.
Did a guy named Bert Schneider REALLY comment, in his acceptance speech for best documentary at the Oscars on April 8, 1975, “It is ironic that we are here at a time just before Vietnam is about to be LIBERATED?!”, and did he REALLY receive a standing ovasion from the Hollywood elite for the comment? He won the Oscar for best documentary of 1974… “Hearts and Minds”.
Check that, I believe he read a telegram at the Oscars from The North Vietnamese congratulating him on his documentary being nominated; this he did when he accepted the Oscar.
The telegram is what the Hollywood “high flyers” applauded (standing ovation).
If the terrorists could beat our combined military, small as it might be, they would be engaged with them now. The terrorist tactic of remote bombings are a clear indication that they simply do not have the strength in either useful manpower or equipment to even consider defeating us. Their only hope is that we will loose the war ourselves.
This has clearly deteriorated to a Vietnam-like fifth columnist struggle. We will win the war again on the battlefield but loose it in our living-rooms; if our leaders don’t get some backbone.
I would guess that if Hanoi Jane had come along when JFK was in power, she would have gone to jail.
During WW11 exactly that happened to a neighbor of ours. There was a pretty strong pro Nazi movement in Canada in the early days of the War. Our government need only enforce the law.
Time is on “their” side.
Iraq’s soccer team is doing well in the Asia Cup. They won their group and are now in the seminfinals. If they win, they will play for the Cup on 29th of July.
Nothing unites a country like soccer match for an international championship.
But just let this sink in, folks. Iraqis have managed to put a team into this competition, without violence impeding their progress to becoming one of the top four teams in their neck of the woods. They have a legitimate shot at winning the whole shebang.
During the surge back home.
Oh, and Iran has already been knocked out of the tournament.
Meanwhile Iraq is the obvious underdog against Korea Republic tomorrow. If Iraq pulls off an upset, they will face the winner of the Japan-Saudi Arabia semifinal, also to be played Wednesday.
Back in Iraq, this will be bigger than our Super Bowl is for us. they’ll be glued to their tv and radio sets.
Joe B:
“ion said:
“…(note: going in was ridiculous in the first place).”
I disagree. The West simply waited too long to try to establish a bridgehead in the heart of the Middle East, in my opinion.”
Israel?
C’mon now, with Iraq there was only one purpose, kill off enough young people so the elderly would still have a numerical advantage to vote republican.
Gunney99, the left will simply not permit a proper military campaign. You are right, the terrorists cannot defeat us in a conventional military sense. In an all out(unlimited, conventional) war, we would wipe the terrorists off the map.
But, that is what the Islamists want. They won’t stop until they have inflicted enough damage to cause a war. That is why they are targetting nuclear facilities.
Look how long the stunning reality of 9/11 took to disipate. We are going to continue to endure attacks until we end up in a catastrophic war.
Arguments that the world was safe in the 90s because we dialogued are out to lunch. While we “dialogued,” AQ garnered a nation state for their base of operations, executed many attacks worldwide, while they planned 9/11.
How we get to them through their human shields (and useful idiots in the West) will always be the problem, until the Islamists finally get the thing to blow up in our faces, with total war as the consequence.
The West needs to wake up, stop making excuses for killers (Dubya had no chance to invade Iraq without 9/11), and take these b******s out, primarily along the Afghan/Pakistani border. Dirty, nasty deadly – yes, but necessary and frankly inevitable.
I agree that eliminating the Taliban/al Qaeda safe haven in Pakistan is necessary. They have essentially recreated the situation they previously had in Afghanistan.
Shamrock; we’re on the same page. But we have to show some moxie to the psychological threat at home. How can you possibly allow anyone to call for our defeat publicly while our soldiers are in the field?
A little hard assed enforcement now would put these traitors in their place. The Islamic radical sympathizers would just go away and the Left would learn their efforts were not popular or persuasive. We have to start by insisting on the truth in the MSM.
How can the public be persuaded this is serious when Government treats a war like a political campaign.
I tried to watch a CBC report on the Iraqi surge the other night (Monday). They managed to find a US soldier who would bad mouth his government to make the case that morale was bad. When they brought on a fuzzy haired talking head “expert” from the NYT I turned it off. If he can’t be bothered with his own personal grooming, why should anyone believe he would be bothered with the facts?
i see smiling children and can’t help but ask, when wiil islam turn it into an ugly sneer?
Canadian Observer, unless you want to turn the entire Middle East into glass self-lit parking lot, you have to get down on the ground and knife fight with the scumbags hiding amongst the serfs.
Air power does not win wars. Driving around and shooting anything that moves doesn’t either. Vietnam and the Soviet Afghan debacle proved that.
The only thing that has any hope of working is to enlist the local people to winkle the bad guys out, and at the same time to civilize the place so the bad guys don’t all run back in as soon as your back is turned. You can’t do that if the locals think you are going to cut and run at the drop of a hat.
Its the one thing Bush has got exactly right over the years, and he should have proceeded a lot faster with it in my opinion. The Democrats are 100% wrong.
They kind of picture you will never see in the NEW YORK SEWER or the LOS ANGELES MANURE SPREADER and certianly not in TIME LIES,NEWSREEK or any of the other birdcage linners AND DONT YOU EVER PUT IT IN MY CAGE OR I,LL GET VIOLENT SQUAWK SQUAWK
I know you have a Mensa button on your website, so I’m suppose to think you’re all smart n’ stuff, but are you kidding me?
This war is a mess. Everyone hates America even more, and with good reason. They’re a horrible, horrible bunch of hypoc… a shit. Why bother.
Believe whatever crazy bullshit you want. Conservatism if failing. Don’t worry though… you ‘tards will no doubt be back in another decade or so, like some retarded zombies rising from the dead to stop whatever progress is happening at that time.
Seriously… conservatives always, always loose. Starting with the idiot apes who refused to walk upright. Of course, you don’t believe in them either, so whateves.
Iraq’s soccer team defeated Korea Republic and are now in the final of the Asia Cup.
For the very first time.
They will meet Saudi Arabia in another first — an all-Arabian final cup match.
The Iraqi run through this tournament is virtually an analogy of the troubles back in Iraq.
The team roster is pluralistic and united by a common goal and by national pride.
During group play they scrounged to win stalemates, which surprised most onlookers.
In the knockout round they beat the odds, defied the skeptics, and won against teams that were ranked much higher. Their victory in the seminfinal match consisted of near misses, heartbreaking setbacks, determined recoveries; the game ended in a goalless draw even through the desperation of overtime — and was finally settled in a 4-3 penalty shootout.
Now the Iraqis have something huge to cheer about beyond all expectations.
http://www.afcasiancup.com/en/tournament/mtindex.asp?aid=50505&cid=1377&mt=12046&sec=105&ssec=246