A Moment of Clarity

A lifetime ago, way back in 1997, I spent a month traveling in Turkey.  During my rambles I spent a night at a hostel in Konya, a traditional center of Turkish Islam.  My host was a young man on disability leave from the army; he had been crippled when a mine exploded under his armored personnel carrier while in service in the East.

<first time diary, more under the fold>

Over an outdoor dinner of roast chicken and fresh vegetables and the sweetest melons ever, our conversation turned to the ongoing civil war in the Kurdish regions of Turkey.  In the campaign, largely unknown, in the West, at that time, Turkey was losing fifty soldiers a week to bombs and small scale raids.  I was horrified at the human carnage.

Fast forward to today.  Juan Cole’s blog, Informed Comment, informs us yet again that another group of soldiers was blown up in Iraq.  This time, the nickel dropped: America is trapped in the same war of attrition that Turkey waged a decade ago.

The thing about wars of attrition is that you can only win if you control the loss rates, for yourself and for your enemy.  America fielded a splendid army in Viet Nam, but the Vietnamese initiated combat in about 85% of the contacts.  Rather than grinding our enemy into dust, we let him fight when he was ready and rest when he needed.  That lost the war.

I can only think that we are making the same mistake today, a generation later.  

For this reason, aside from all the others, we need to bring the troops home.  Now.

•  Nice point, though I would not say

  that is why we lost Nam. Saying it that way implies we had a choice. We didn't then as we don't now. But I agree with what I believe to be your larger point.

  by Gary Norton on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 07:28:24 PM PDT

  •  Evidently

       Every student of rhetoric knows that there are many levels of causation to be presented in any discussion.

       The logical chain I presented is one way of approaching the American experience in South-West Asia on the same grounds as our experience in South-East Asia.  Our people have long experience with one, they might be able to transfer it over to the other.

       But we are quibbling over tactics: I salute a friend who sees with me the big picture.

    by alain2112 on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 07:43:01 PM PDT

    •  BTW, sorry you didn't get more traffic. n/t

      by Gary Norton on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 07:45:50 PM PDT

      •  Thanks

        I take that as a vote of confidence, and will try my hand again at this diary business.

        DKos has changed dramatically in the four years that I have participated.  At the outset, I could read not only every posting but every comment: those days are gone, to our loss.

        But also to our gain.  Look at all the resources we have, as a community, and at the way our various tribes work together towards the common good.

        Once upon a time I took a marketing course.  I will endeavour to work those lessons into the presentation of my next composition.

        by alain2112 on Sat Mar 17, 2007 at 11:53:36 AM PDT