I read quickly through the Iraq Study Group's report (available on CNN) and noted some fatal flaws, not the least of which is the contention that the conflict cannot be resolved through military means.

The problem is that we haven't resorted to military means in the classic sense of the term.  We have been tentative, politically correct and far too worried about breaking things and killing people.  As Sherman said, "War is Hell."  The enemy, and that includes al Qaeda, Sunni die-hards, Shiite militia death squads and recalcitrant "leaders" on the one hand, and Iran and Syria on the other, have not been subjected to enough Hell on Earth to get them to bend to our will. 

Another flaw is the emphasis on diplomacy to elicit certain behavior from Iran and Syria.  The report suggests a lot of goals but offers not even the slightest clue as to how to achieve them.  Iran and Syria have shown themselves to be absolutely impervious to diplomatic initiatives, whether they be aimed at halting Iran's nuclear program or its very explicit views on the destruction of Israel or the tendency of both Iran and Syria to meddle in Lebanon's affairs, from assassinating politicians to hijacking the government through Hezbollah.  What makes Baker and his study group think that because we ask nicely, Iran and Syria are suddenly going to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem?  Diplomacy that is not backed by credible military force is worse than useless; it is counterproductive.  Iran, in particular, has shown itself to be particularly recalcitrant when dealing with western diplomats.  And remember; that nation is the number one supporter of terror in the world today.  They view both us and the Israelis as the Great Satan.  What makes us think they will do anything to further the interests of their greatest enemies?

The biggest single flaw in the entire report, however, is its focus on Iraq and, to a lesser extent, Afghanistan as separate and distinct wars instead of mere campaigns in the overall war against Islamic terrorism.  There are far larger things at stake here than how to wind down our operations in Iraq.  The biggest issue of our age--and possibly our children's and grandchildren's ages--is defeating the jihadist menace that is threatening all of Western Civilization.  The goal should be unconditional surrender of the Islamofascists.  The way to achieve that goal is through vigorous, brutal, successful military operations that leave no room for the enemy to regroup to fight another day.  In other words, the goal should be victory.

Contributed by Shane Briscoe on December 6, 2006 at 03:41 PM in Shane Briscoe | Permalink

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