Dispatch from the Front IV

This dispatch dates back to just before the Presidential election last year. My correspondent's thoughts on the importance of valuing the freedoms we have are especially relevant at this time we remember 9/11.

On the eve of election, I find it sadly ironic that I find myself in the midst of a massive undertaking of a foreign policy initiative; enable a democratic voting process to take place in a land and by a culture that has never had it and for some who are desperate to achieve what others casually take for granted, and yet in my own country voter turnout is often less than half of eligible citizens. How odd is that?

Well, whatever your views, I would hope that each of you exercises your precious rights tomorrow and votes. Cherish your freedoms. If you haven't paid attention, each vote counts more than ever since many precincts outcomes were decided by a mere hairbreadths.

If you think you don't have much say, think again. Or try this on for size, give up your citizenship and immigrate to one of these countries in this region. HA! You get a dictator for life supported by a brutal security forces rivalling nazi efficiency. You get ZERO say in anything about everything. Remember that ridiculous "vote" saddam had just before the invasion in 2003?

They had something like 99% turnout. Amazing. I've asked some iraqis about it, I mean, I asked do you really think you were fooling anybody? We all know that there was no "choice", one guys name was on the "ballot". The answer was simple. If you didn't vote you were going to be killed or beaten by the secret police.

Such a massive difference in the way of life between modern first world nation states with stable governments and prosperous economies. The sensibilities and attitudes one acquires or develops living in such conditions really don't either prepare you or allow one to deal with a situation like living here in an effective manner. This extends to many aspects like business or politics. Which leads me to my main point. A story like that is like a fairy tale, a myth, doesn't/didn't/can't happen. It doesn't compute for someone like you or I. We simply cannot imagine it. There is nothing in our life experience to compare it to.

I mean, name a time, anytime, you lived in a lowgrade constant fear for your life and safety because of what some secret gestapo police might do to you? More importantly than all this abstract, academic platitudes, the immediate concerns revolve around the current war, ie everyday survival, day to day security. Which is, of course, very controversial because of a number of issues.

Whatever and however those are resolved, I think most would agree that some type of acceptable outcome is what we all support, yes?

Well, there's the rub. How do you go about it? There is a very extremely massive ultra complicated chaotic situation here. That much is evident and quite clear by now, yes?

Insurgencies in the 20th century almost never or are not won by brute military force. Why? Because they have been waged by third world nations against the first world nation states and these entities because of vastly different cultures and sensibilities mentioned above do not wage war like, say, it used to be done in ancient times.

How would the Roman empire have dealt with an uprising? The same way that the despotic rulers of any number of countries in this region even into the present day have always done it. By slaughter and killing any who oppose them.

You see, the peoples in this region have not evolved culturally, politically, economically, socially or scientifically or in some ways the most important, religiously, in the same way that others in the modern developed world have done. As such, they are not constrained by such trivial details like respect for human life and property.

Cases in point; The govt of iraq was taken over by the Baath political party and saddam did have opposition but any uprising never lasted for more than a few months. Why? He and his henchman killed. A lot. And when whoever opposed him had enough or there weren't any more left of them, it stopped.

This type of event is alien to a modern American's sensibilities. It is incomprehensible. It's like talking about quantum physics, nobody can understand or fathom what you are saying, it's all greek. Well, just like other areas, the mass graves are now being unearthed.

Try this on for size. The Baath party of Syria faced an uprising in the early 1980s. Their dictator Assad attacked 2 villages and killed every living thing, people young and old, didn't matter, animals trees whatever and had the towns burnt down and bulldozed flat. Gone. The baathist dictator has never had a serious challenge since.

Now unless you are interested in international affairs such occurrences as these events pass most people by. However, i am briefly trying to paint a picture in a small albeit simplified way of how things are done and thought of in this region.

Many iraqis are amazed, some disgusted, that the US with all its power hasn't, cannot or will not subdue this insurgency. Many blame america for the daily chaos and lack of security. Some would have/and do expect the US to blast the insurgents. The attempts at appeasement after last springs drag americans thru the streets rampage then invade/ withdraw debacle made the insurgents and people of Fallooja out to be victorious heroes of the resistance in the eyes of the regions muslims and or citizens who "drove out" the despised americans. If this comes as a shock to you watch aljazeera network or something other than the standard us media fare, like german, french or british media outlets.

The US tactic of negotion was/is seen as "weakness". The people and various and many groups opposing US forces in iraq are not playing silly games and dancing around a maypole here. Yes, I know there are complicated reasons for the opposition but what I am accurately explaining is that such people here don't have a sense of trying to get what they want thru (peaceful) political means. The concept is like outer space to them.

They are trying to gain power the way it's always been done, by force. See, the social, political, religious and economic institutions and methods that citizens of developed nations too often take for granted, that process took centuries to arise! You all remember the boring history class, dark ages, renaissance, enlightenment, industrial revolution blah blah blah yada yada yada?

Therefore, it's a bit of a stretch to expect that this process of achieving a nice peaceful stable situation will happen in the span of a few short months?! You cannot just kick in the door to this country, kill who knows how many of their people and plunk down some foreign notion of a jeffersonian democratic republic and expect it to be understood much less taken seriously.

The centers of gravity that must exist for a nation to function have been cowed, co-opted, threatened and are under weekly, literal fire.
It's textbook. Classic. These groups have done their homework. They are waging an effective campaign. Just look at the weekly assasination death toll. government, civic, security apparatus, from a wide variety of agencies are/have been targeted.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if the guy in office just got killed then you either need more and better security or you need to cut a deal. (which is of course the aim of the insurgents and that is precisely what has happened. you play ball or get deepsixed) As a practical matter, it is impossible for a government to provide security for each and every employee of every agency. (even if one does have "security", whatever that is) The nature of a successful killing dictates that the insurgents are either going to use a simple bomb, find a easier target, just get more guns than yours and ambush, or find a method to get their way-kill or intimidate your family. This is the daily, hard, facts on the ground truth.

The US govt has no hope of "winning" this conflict militarily. Why? We are not going to resort to the brutal methods of mass slaughter that could end the uprising in the short term but lose the lasting goals. The key here, as in all insurgencies, is for the affected population to refuse the haven and base of support that an insurgency requires. Will that happen? Remains to be seen.

Yes, it would be easy to just belly up to a bar and spout some ignorant diatribe about nuking this place into glass and pump the oil out by robots but that has no basis in reality and doesn't really advance to a meaningful solution. That being said, there are quite a few tribes in a lot of areas in this messed up dungpile of a country that I would gladly blast.

I don't mean to sound macabre, melodramatic or to frighten you into paranoia. Your odds of being in a terror attack are astronomically low. Like hit by lightning low. like 0.000000000000000001% low. (ok, so its a bit higher if you live in iraq and happen be a us soldier, whatever) So don't worry. Keep things in proper perspective. However, if you should ever be confronted with a choice, and you do have a choice, fight.

Enough of this rant. I hope to leave you on a positive note. I think all of you generally are healthy, are relatively safe and sound such as the case may be, and you enjoy all the blessings of liberty that life in america affords.

That kind of life doesn't happen by chance or accident. There are reasons for such prosperity. Cherish it, don't take it for granted. Preserve, protect and advance our precious freedoms. Go vote.

miss ya'll. as always, thanks for all your support, letters, packages, prayers, etc!
yours

In the next dispatch, we'll take another look at the factions/powers involved in this terror war.

Dispatch from the Front I
Dispatch from the Front II
Dispatch from the Front III