We never learn

[alvarezadams]

When I heard that admin officials and the intelligence community involved in the Iraq extravaganza and the “War on Terra” had been shown the famous Pontecorvo film, “Tha Battle of Algiers”, I was both surprised and heartened. I thought that they would learn some valuable lessons from the French precedent in the 1950’s – the power of nationalism, the strengths and weaknesses of terrorist “cell” systems, the inefficiency of state-terror, torture and partisanship (siding with certain groups). A few years afterwards I can see that I was wrong to be so sanguine – if our “leadership” considered the Algerian precedent it learned the wrong lessons and has mirrored the French’ failures in squares.

The Algerian war of independence in the 1950’s was both similar and different to the current situation vis a vis Iraq and Terra. For starters the French were in a far better situation; Algeria was divided between actual French colonists, “collaborationist” Algerians who wanted to become an integral part of France, and a relatively small number of separatists. The French did not have to consider religious-sectarian violence (Shiite vs. Sunni) nor did historical ethnic groups pose much of a consideration (as opposed to the Kurds in Iraq).

At the height of the Algerian struggle the French had around 500,000 troops while the “terrists” had around 20,000. Thus numerically speaking the French military had far better odds than the US presently does in Iraq. At the same time, the large “collaborationalist” segment of the Algerian population has virtually no mirror in Iraq – Iraqi public opinion is virtually unanimous in the desire for a US withdrawl – sooner rather than later. Yet… the French lost their battle.

The French were not overconcerned over the idea of torturing prisoners, of committing terrorist acts themselves, creating concentration camps. They were virtually free to exercize the strongarm tactics that today’s neocons would love to apply and do – albeit surreptitiously through unlawful renditions, Gitmo and the like. So while the French were “foul”, the US is neither “fish nor fowl” – garnering the opprobium of illegal tactics without the illicit benefits that their French predecessors gained.

For some reason conservatives everywhere seem to fall into the same trap time and time again, refusing to learn the lessons of history. Inevitably they are quick to find the simplistic “solution” of violence, oversimplify any given situation… and then blame anyone but themselves for their failure. Vietnam was supposedly a lesson learned – but increasingly it seems that it is a lesson forgotten as ideology overcomes logic. Today one finds more and more conservatives that believe that the war was lost at home and not in Vietnam – and that one can “win hearts and minds” while exercizing coercion.

We should come to terms with something that some of our past politicians knew quite well – learned from their own mistakes in similar areas. Woodrow Wilson’s “14 Points” were learned from our failure to overcome Philippine nationalism (see Mark Twain for reference) – and his support of “self-determination” has been the rallying cry of people around the world since.

Around the world except for Washington DC and a few other conservative-ruled capitals, that is.

[alvarezadams]

1. Nor, apparently...

...do we care overmuch.

[alvarezadams]

2. Since this was posted...

... all hell has broken lose.

[deaniac21]

3. .

[agincourt]

4. Current crop of conservatives,

want never ending war and terrorism. Conservatives take trauma like 9-11 and failed Iraq policy and use it for a tighter grip on the political system. Thats why those pigs stay in power, they use their own failed policies to enrich themselves. Of course Americans must be kept politically stupid to keep this game going. That's why the nightly news is stupid ie Ann Coulter, Glen Beck, swift liars etc. etc. The US military is their stepping stone to political power, whether the military and the nation is harmed or not ,it makes no difference.