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There's a clear logic behind Obama's Libya strategy
President Obama is struggling to transcend American history. For two centuries, Americans have believed that any use of military power is war, and the objective in war is victory over the enemy. This guy at least understands Jacksonians. Too bad he doesn't recognize they are the backbone and ultimate majority of the country. They have little tolerance for military operations that deviate from this pattern, such as the limited use of force in support of diplomacy or armed action leading to something other than decisive victory. After a foray into "limited war" from Korea to Vietnam, the United States walked away from the idea. Walked away? No They never accepted it. This is the clearest confession that I have ever seen that Obunko wants to lead the country and the military into another Vietnam. And why is it always do-gooders who lead us into these fiascos? What became known as the Weinberger-Powell principles argued that the U.S. military should never be committed unless vital interests are at stake--and then, only with the intention of clear victory. This became inculcated into the American strategic culture. And, since World War II, Americans have also come to expect I think he means accept. These two words are often confused. that the United States will dominate any military operations in which it participates. The normal state of affairs, Americans believe, is for the United States to be is the senior partner in a coalition. The Obama strategy represents a step away from the Weinberger-Powell principles and the notion that the United States must dominate any operation where its military is involved. And a return to the Truman-MacNamara-Johnson pseudo-principles that war is a game and subject to the same principles as any other game. Especially if the UN can be involved. Whether it works will be determined by the unpredictable whims of Muammar Qaddafi, the willingness of other states to take some or all of the burden off of America's hands, and the president's ability to sell the American public and its elected leaders on a strategy that runs counter to their tradition and inclinations. While Obama's Libya strategy has a distinct logic, its success thus remains in the balance. And it will go down as the Second Suez War. I hope it drives the do-gooders out of foreign policy for a generation at least. Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-04-03 |
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