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Military Intervention: A Checklist of Key Considerations
Col. (Ret.) John Collins spent 30 years (and three wars) as an officer in the U.S. Army and then another 25 years as a researcher for the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Known in the defense policy community as "The Warlord" for his stewardship of an email listserv that goes by the same name, he is one of the most experienced and wisest strategic thinkers in the United States. As the national defense community considers the possibility of military intervention in Libya, the Warlord's checklist of key considerations, first published by the CRS and then by Parameters, demands careful study and provides a useful framework for policy makers:
Why do most of the cleverest
Why do most of the cleverest US military folks seem never to get beyond colonel?
There is something very wrong with a organization that prefers it's brigadier generals to be first and foremost "team players".
Not sure if this is my
Not sure if this is my perception, but in policy speak I do not see the question.....why?
Collins says whether, where, when, and how to intervene. All I can figure is that "why" is too far from taking action. Guess I will have to settle for whether and never write policy.
As far as the rest, I will take your word for Collin's credibility Andrew. Suppose he can write circles around me and we all know that he can spell better.
Still we are left with questions and not answers, a true bureaucrat. Then he is writing a timeless document that tries to address all conflicts. Give the task to the people that will get to participate in the conflict and I am sure that their words would be a lot more colorful. Might be more interesting to sit through the discussion. Does Bob Newhart write policy?
Yet we have to give way to time in grade and respect Collin's experience in three wars (do they apply here?) and his research. Seems to make the job more complex, experts like complex it is job security. Kuwait had a lot to do with a treaty, good friend of mine that use to talk Soviet Officers into defecting to the US from Chezlovakia in the 60's and was an early advisor in Vietnam thought that the US was acting as mercenaries for Kuwait oil. I had to agree with him a little on the Kuwait issue. He was not too impressed with Hal Moore and was part of the Americal Division. I guess he earned his opinion. We will not have a chance to ask the other guy that participated in the fun in Chezlovakia, the Russians hung him at the border where they plowed the dirt fresh to see who crossed in the night. What do you use to bait a Russian Officer (that might make a good knock knock joke)? Oranges, bannanas, other fresh food that they can not get....makes 'em wonder if life is better on the otherside. At least it breaks the ice. That is how my buddy bagged his new friend.
That gets us to today, Libya. What to do with Libya. WHY? There I go again with the why thing.
OIL..........................For some reason that makes me think of Kuwait again.
PEACE.................. War to end all wars, we heard that before.
HUMANITARIAN...Bombs? Bullets? Genva Conference says we can be humanitarian
Never really liked Gaddafi..........Can we get away with that one? We will take the "T" word off the list.
Think the first three sums it up.
OIL.........Libya supplies only 2% of the world market, we have no treaties with them. Hard to justify trading a drop of oil of one drop of American blood.
PEACE...That is peace in the Middle East. That comes down to religion and that is way beyond my pay grade. Something tells me it ain't gonna happen in my life time. Besides being a hero in Libya will not impress Israel.
HUMANITARIAN....This is the only place we have leverage. Question is, are these people going to appreciate the effort? I mean we supported Gaddafi and Mubarak, infact just about all those hard line leaders were our buds, that hurts. The unspoken tango word lives in the free zone. At least that is what Hillary told me, and we all know she speaks the truth. Still the US are the good guys that like to spend the money for a cause. Going back to my expert, he figured that the US policy people had no clue when they went into Iraq, I wonder if those policy makers read the same Collins checklist, maybe so.
So goes my 15 seconds as a policy writter good thing I do not do it for a living.
Pssssst...Come a little closer......If US goes in to Libya.....it will be because we never really liked that Gaddafi guy, but don't spread that around. I got that from one of the Proud Lions......may not be true, but it is more believable....so l fibbed a little at the end.....
Lemme Help ya wondering
Lemme Help ya wondering Visitor: it's called Liberals and Especially the Liberal Media are once again caught up in emotion and becoming the story - and they are fcking dragging us along. If you don't remember the 90's, the flag follows CNN. War is good TV, until you get your d*ck stuck in the glory hole. The as soon as we do something impolite it's on the front page of NYT for a year and suddenly mysteriously warps time to become the enemies motive, rather than a consequence of prior events.
I haven't really looked deep into this, since it makes me want to puke. Let me see if I have the story correct here: we have no direct interests in Libya, we are invading another Muslim country this time not in response to attack or perceived threat, but on short notice to involve ourselves *kinda*..AFTER Hilary, Gates and Mattis said fck no don't do this...each one stronger than the one before.... in their internal Civil War, when we hardly have a clear picture of who's who except we think the Rebels are some really cool hip kids and we don't like the mean Dictator. And we're set to go in about 2 days.
Welcome to the 90's, gang. And AM you endorsed him....although McCain's dumb enough to go for it as well..
The only moral option is to
The only moral option is to sell our grandchildren into debt slavery to free Libya. Of course it is taxation without representation, but I want to feel good about my nation, remain a hegemon, help the French yet again, and keep more of my money during my lifetime. To clarify the last bit, I support a preemptive foreign policy, liberal interventionism and a policy of protecting our allies... I just don't want to pay for it. I am willing to go without a transportation infrastructure so America can remain #1. That highway bridge collapsing in Minnesota? The splashes were the sounds of freedom and determination. I just hope the evildoers were listening, in no matter what insignificant place they reside.
There is the never ending
There is the never ending question
What about Ivory Coast? Is chocolate a National Interest ? They have oil in that neck of the woods too.
News coverage is not that heavy that far south in Africa. Interesting.
Bill Clinton and Dick
Bill Clinton and Dick Holbrooke bombed Christian Serbs in order to save muslims in the Balkans. Did our intervention enhance America's standing in the muslim world? Did our intervention advance our interests or protect our citizens in any fashion? Are Kosovars grateful that we saved them from Orthodox Christian dominance?
Why did a young man from Kosovo just murder 2 American servicemen in Frankfurt, Germany?
Our interventions always blow-up in our faces. Muslims are a useless lot except the oil that lies under their sand. Israelis are more useless because they have no oil and are a financial and dipomatic drain to our foreign policy.
Let's quit being the world police and get our own house in order.
............Does Bob Newhart
............Does Bob Newhart write policy? If he did, it would sound like this ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwT-_uCEMiA
Problem with Collins, he does not give us guidance for the questions that he creates. Answers only come from age and experience, not a single paper or book. Yet you say that Collins is old and has lots of experience, which leaves us with a question.
My response: Live your life and come back and give me a solution.
The Hell with Libya, let's
The Hell with Libya, let's invade Greece during the height of the Tourist season. Hot chicks in thongs, nice beaches, no Islamic Law, we can drink and screw --and it will all be soooo easy. We can slip in without firing a shot buy using deception: we'll tell them we're filming the Movie Version of "Call of Duty: Hipsters Triumphant". Then we can infiltrate Greek American's in by basing them undercover in bistros and diners, and bring Bernanke in to get their finances in order. They will welcome us with Gyro's, flowers, and most importantly Ouzo of which we'll need a lot.
I like this better than Operation Do Something, and it makes as much sense.
Why does it have to be all or
Why does it have to be all or nothing?
Level Gaddafi's palaces with Tomahawks.
Have Mariah Carey give a free concert, and then Tomahawk that.
elf - haven't you heard?
elf - haven't you heard? There are no liberals anymore.
This is something you should watch, but fair warning: he uses big words and speaks the truth. It will be very hard for you to watch.
http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/33779341
Here is another
Here is another consideration:
Do the Libyans WANT help? Have they ASKED us for help?
Libyan exiles say that the international community must SAVE the Libyans through military action, at the very least, through a no-fly zone. Sound familiar?
Libyans on the inside, including at least one who is seen as a leader of sorts, say they do NOT want foreign interference. One former government official now in the opposition went so far as to say that they were NOT talking with Secretary Clinton when she made the comment that the USG and others were in conversation with the inside opposition. Leaders worry that they could be seen as pawns of the West and would lose credibility and hence support from various elements inside Libya in the battle against Gadhafi. It would be a big public relations victory for Gadhafi with his own people since he has claimed [among many other things!] that the West is behind the uprising just to gain such control over Libyan resources. It could potentially stem the flow of defectors from his ranks and perhaps bring some back from the other side.
Ordinary people asked about this issue responded that they do not want foreigners to have an excuse to come in and then not leave. Some expressed fear that foreigners would try to take control of Libya's oil and gas, hence obviating the need to go through the government of Libya to take what they want at whatever prices they want. [This is how they have read history.]
One proviso: This discourse took place earlier in the conflict, when the resistance did not think that Gadhafi would put up such a fight or that so many more lives would be lost. This was before his airstrikes against targets outside Tripoli.
It seems that a] we must be much more discreet about our communications with leaders in such a delicate position and no official leadership structure and b] we make really sure that these leaders are prepared for all the consequences of any military action the international community can agree on. Any action that would lead to more Libyan-on-Libyan conflict could easily make their putting together a new polical system that much more difficult.
Comment Re VISITOR 5:28 pm 5
Comment Re VISITOR 5:28 pm 5 March
INDEED! If we needed a clearer message from the Libyan resistance forces, we got it with their capture and expulsion of the British Special Forces and "junior diplomat" who had supposedly arrived to offer Britain's help. What part of NO THANK YOU do we not seem to understand?
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