General says stopping desire to strike U.S. is the only way to end war

[ECH1969]

The only way to win the global war on terrorism and end the fighting in Iraq is to stop groups of disaffected men from being willing to die to strike a blow against the United States, the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command said Tuesday.

The comment from Lt. Gen. James Mattis, former commander of Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division, came during a panel discussion on lessons learned from combat in Iraq at a conference sponsored by the U.S. Naval Institute and the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association.

"They cannot win at the ballot box, which is why they use terrorism," said Mattis, who got into hot water during an appearance before the same group last year when he said it was "a hell of a lot of fun to shoot some people."

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Robert Scales said that the conflict in Iraq today, in which insurgents rely on roadside explosives and suicide bombers, is here to stay. "Your grandchildren will be fighting this type of war," warned Scales, co-author of the book, "The Iraq War."

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/01/11/military/16_36_441_10_06.txt

[Posteritatis]

1. To a point, he's right

Winning a war is not about simply killing more of the other guy, or even the classical definition of compelling the foe to one's will through violence. It's about eliminating, through whatever means one has at one's disposal, the enemy's will to fight. There are violent and coercive ways to do that; there are also non-violent and constructive ways to do them.

If you can address the feelings of disenfranchisement - not just in the democracy-or-not sense, but in the sense of having relevance - on the one hand and desperation on the other, it can actually make a difference. That saps the will to fight too, with the added benefit of probably replacing it with something genuinely useful. And you don't even need to flatten entire countries to do it!

That's probably not what General Mattis had in mind, but he's at least unintentionally got the right idea.

[MrPrax]

4. Funny, I didn't read that...

Scales comment sums it up:

"Your grandchildren will be fighting this type of war," <-- in other words, an eternal war with an elusive enemy waged by a police state, where any discussion of whether the enemy might have a legitimate grievance, is grounds for imprisonment.

This is what the General is talking about, 'a war by all means necessary against anyone...we're right, and they're dead.'...he is not opening up a dialogue, he has closed one.

[Posteritatis]

9. There's a reason I said "to a point"

He got the theory right, but really botched the implementation.

[jayctravis]

13. Secure people with shelter who aren't in poverty

tend not to riot or need to steal. Makes sense.

[wishlist]

2. Contradicts pro-war argument to fight in Iraq so our grkids won't have to

So much for the justification by Iraq war supporters that we are fighting in Iraq now so our grandchildren won't have to later. Unfortunately these Generals are acknowledging that rather than eradicating terrorism we have incited it because of the large numbers of disaffected people in the wake of our invasion.

[Greeby]

3. Mattis, what is your major malfunction?

You've got it bass ackards.

You wanna "stop groups of disaffected men from being willing to die to strike a blow against the United States"? Fine, then end the fighting in Iraq.

[Charlie Brown]

5. The Generals have to do what they're told

It's up to the Pentagon and the politicans what our military undertakes. The commanders in the field are given a mission, and carry it out.

I thought his comments were an excellent summation of why the "War on Terror" is completely counter-productive.

[Megahurtz]

6. I guess it will never end then.

As long as they continue the Oil War there will be limitless fanatics
willing to blow themselves up for their cause.

We need to develope alternative energy sources but the you-know-whos
will never give up their greedy thirst for $$$$$$OIL$$$$$$.:eyes:

[saigon68]

7. Kill them all--- Let GOD sort them out

Heard that before

[DinahMoeHum]

8. LMAO !! Mattis might as well keep trying to spit in the wind

without it landing on his face.

"...stop groups of disaffected men from being willing to die to strike a blow against the United States..."

General, it's really very simple. You want to stop terrorism? Then stop terrorizing people, and get out of their land.

:argh:

[Trillo]

10. A little word play ... fill in the blanks

I struck some of the General's words with blanks: "The only way to win the ______ war _______ and end the fighting ________ is to stop groups of disaffected men from being willing to die...."

One of the ideas that has been expressed in regards to the prussian schools, (which our current schools are partly modeled on) is to deliberately create groups of disaffected people (men in the past, but today increasingly, also women) that are willing to die for patriotic zeal.

[Ezlivin]

11. Send everyone an iPod and some iTunes gift certificates

If that doesn't make them happy and no longer concerned with war, then we'll sic the RIAA on them.

The RIAA is more tenacious than any military on earth.

[Lexingtonian]

12. what a horrible article in general

and what a moron of a general in political sense.

The saddest thing is, he's actually learning stuff. If he keeps it up, he'll even figure out that Von Clausewitz worked it all out long before he did.

And he'll eventually even figure out that terrorism goes away when its political rationale becomes moot. Say, for example, the U.S. military being removed from interference and propping up dictators and monarchies the Middle East...which was bin Laden's original problem with Americans, wasn't it.

[alfredo]

14. No brainer. Let's look at it as supply and demand. If there is no

need for a product, the supply will dry up. Treat another with respect and he may not love you, but he will not see a need to harm you.

[54anickel]

15. But I thought they hated us for our freedoms and that's why they attacked.

So, do we give up our freedoms, or maybe get a clue and stop abusing the rest of the world's freedoms and resources.