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| German Press Review: Specter of Vietnam Haunts U.S. |
| 2004-04-09 |
| Whatever else it is, itâs not Vietnam. But the left, just like some generals, are always fighting the last war, and thatâs why they are irrelevant. Most German papers werenât published Friday due to the Good Friday holiday. Editorialists who did get printed weighed in on the unrest in Iraq, terrorism fears at the Vatican and Germanyâs unpopular central bank chief. The WestfÀlische Nachrichten said the gruesome television pictures of the kidnap victims show that the violent militia led by Moqtada Sadr are capable of almost anything. America will therefore respond with all its military might. That is the only way to stop the unrest from spreading and to regain control of Iraq. It will also become more difficult for the United States to relinquish its unpopular role as an occupier, one of the preconditions for peace in Iraq. Washington faces a dilemma. A political solution to the conflict sponsored by the Americans looks less and less likely. The United Nations could throw a lifeline, but as Iraq is on the verge of civil war, it is likely to be quite out of reach. The LÃŒbecker Nachrichten said the specter of Vietnam is haunting America, the fear of involvement in a war that will paralyze a superpower and throw a whole region into turmoil. But the fear may be overstated, the paper wrote. The rebels in Iraq do not have a whole country, like North Vietnam did, behind them. But even a long, drawn-out war against Iraqi guerrillas would cost thousands of lives. It would also spur the recruitment of even more Islamic terrorists. In the Vatican, Pope John Paul has started four hectic days of services in the run up to Easter. Last week Italian media reported that intelligence agencies had warned the pontiff might be the target of an attack during the Easter period. The Neue WestfÀlische had the following words of contemplation. Even if our vision of a perfect world has taken a few knocks, the paper said, we should not join in efforts to destroy it. We should grasp this period of upheaval as an opportunity to build a better world. This starts with the education of our children and passing on to them the knowledge that violence leads nowhere. While there has been no shortage of major international news in the German papers this week, commentators have been using a lot of ink on a domestic story centering around Bundesbank President, Ernst Welteke. Welteke has coming under fire from all corners of the German political establishment for letting Germanyâs Dresdner Bank, pay a hotel bill for him totaling over â¬7,000. The German central bank said on Wednesday that Welteke would take a leave of absence, but it saw no grounds for his dismissal. The government called that decision inappropriate and urged Welteke to take the necessary consequences, an unmistakable call for his resignation. The Mittelbayerische Zeitung underlines that the German government would not be sorry to see to Welteke depart. In the European Central Bank, he is hardly a major player. He has simply been unable to acquire the authority and aura that previous presidents of the Bundesbank possessed. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #8 Zhang - thanks, that's interesting. But saying one learned lessons from the Tet offensive (a good thing) and saying this is Bush's Tet are another. It's really like saying Bacon's Rebellion was George Washington's Revolutionary War. While their root causes were similar - they weren't the same at all....different place, time and situations. If we have learned anything from Vietnam - it is that if you allow the media and self-interested (as opposed to nationally interested) politicians to drive your actions, then you might as well just bring the troops home and start learning the Koran. Times have changed. Americans have changed. It just isn't Tet no matter how badly Jane Fonda, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry want to relive their glory days. But you are right...we should learn from Tet and move forward. |
| Posted by: anon 2004-04-09 4:15:23 PM |
| #7 Here's a primer on the reasons for urban combat, the thought behind applying different levels of force and the way to win engagements, excerpted from an Army War College study: Although there is much about the Tet attacks against Saigon and Hue that is indeed unique, the battles offer several lessons that planners and warfighters should consider in thinking about future Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT). A clear lesson is that MOUT vary in intensity. Everything from crowd control to small-unit actions to high-intensity conventional combat can occur in an urban setting. Planners should thus make an effort to ensure that planning and training reflect these variations in urban operations. Armored units that practice urban assaults using all of the firepower at their disposal, for instance, should recognize that their training is appropriate to only one form of urban warfare. Using heavy weapons to dislodge a small guerrilla unit that has seized an installation might work, but it would also prove to be politically counterproductive. But as the Battle for Hue demonstrates, if a large or well-armed enemy unit intends to use a city as a field fortification, urban warfare quickly degenerates into siege warfare, involving heavy weapons and enormous casualties and destruction. Cities that are descending into chaos quickly must be isolated from the surrounding countryside. Whatever the source of urban turmoilâinsurrection, terrorist attacks, or simple anarchyâoutside reinforcements, supplies, or sympathizers must be prevented from reaching the centers of urban disturbances. If reinforcements can be kept from urban centers, units eventually will run out of ammunition, supplies, and personnel as security forces systematically isolate and neutralize pockets of resistance. In Saigon, sappers and cadre enjoyed some initial success, but were quickly killed or rounded up when their planned reinforcements were prevented from entering the city to capitalize on the turmoil they had created or the footholds they had gained. By contrast, PAVN in Hue had several days to resupply, build defenses, and carry out their house-to-house search for government officials. PAVN, however, made the mistake of not eliminating pockets of allied resistance in Hue, which allowed Allied units to mount simultaneous assaults on PAVN positions from both inside and outside Hue. Additionally, the Tet attacks suggest that, almost by definition, urban warfare can emerge as a surprise to local inhabitants and friendly forces alike. Initially, the battles for Saigon and Hue were fought by military and base police, headquarters personnel, and logistic troops who never thought they would be called upon to defend their installations in cities that were considered relatively secure, even in the midst of a guerrilla war and insurgency. Clearly, the mood in urban areas can change quickly. Even cities considered friendly to U.S. forces could burst into violence sparked by some external event, local incident, or opposition cadre. In other words, it is difficult to predict when latent hostility towards U.S. policy or a military presence will produce attacks on isolated American units or installations. This raises an important question. Should planners expect to have regular infantry or mechanized units positioned to respond to urban unrest? Or will armored and infantry unitsâwhich are in increasingly short supplyâbe confronting similar units âat the frontâ? Will commanders be willing or able to task their most capable units (measured in terms of their organic firepower) to guard against street disturbances? Finally, the Tet attacks demonstrate that urban warfare is fought before an extremely attentive audience, namely, the inhabitants of the city under attack. Indeed, the decision to undertake urban operations is grave in itself: even desperate opponents are unlikely to threaten civilians and the centers and symbols of national authority unless they believe the potential political gains outweigh the risks. The way U.S. forces respond to urban disturbances is crucial, because their operations will send a political message to all concerned about the credibility of American commitments and the nature of American policy toward a specific conflict, issue, or area. In other words, it might be possible that U.S. forces could win an urban engagement, but lose political support for American objectives because of negative public perceptions concerning the conduct of U.S. military operations. Today, given the density of communication networks in urban areas, U.S. commanders must realize that MOUT will be conducted before a global audience able to observe events in real time. Given the prospects for global news coverage, urban operations will have widespread and immediate political ramifications. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-04-09 2:52:07 PM |
| #6 russia today said this about European criticism of their ops in Chechnya The fact that the EU countries have resorted to submitting a resolution shows that they are putting the political process in the North Caucasus region in doubt. Moreover, it is a kind of encouragement to terrorists and runs counter to the uncompromising struggle against international terrorism." On the very same day, Russia condemned the US for a "disproportionate response" in Iraq. Where Im from we call that chutzpah. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-04-09 1:48:32 PM |
| #5 Its Vietnam as far as the left, Europe, and the media are concerned. The bad guys have read the playbook and decided to try to make their own Tet. The good guys are killing lots of them, just as in Tet. If this is another Vietnam, at least we have hindsight to know not to get wobbly and listen to the appeasers and peaceniks this time. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-09 1:42:59 PM |
| #4 "violence leads nowhere" Wow, how deep! Too bad the jihadis do not know this "fact". Look what violence has brought to them- dhimmitude from most of Western Europe, a great hope of renewal of the caliphate. Our emenies have a vision of a perfect world too. Listening to this pope will help them readily obtain their goal of worldwide peace (submission to the moon god). Uh, Holy Father, what part of "kill all infidels" do you not understand? |
| Posted by: Craig 2004-04-09 1:15:07 PM |
| #3 Maybe if they said the specter of Vietnam is haunting Europe, it might be accurate. I wish they would quit bringing up Vietnam. It always makes me want to go out and get some pho. ;) |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2004-04-09 12:41:14 PM |
| #2 German Press Review: Specter of Vietnam Haunts U.S. Well let's see: about 600 or so soldiers have died in Iraq so far, so there's 57,400 more to go and at least nine more years until Vietnam is equaled. Any chance of the Veitnam experience being repeated? Nope. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-04-09 11:48:34 AM |
| #1 I've said this before...but I think it bears repeating. While this Vietnam thing plays well on the golden oldies channel, it's not just not pumping up the crowds. Why does this whole Vietnam thing give me the mental image of aunts and uncles trying to boogie at a wedding? Am I the only one who sees Uncle Ted trying to do the gator but has to stop when he throws out his back? Rock on grandpa...the rest of us will smile, laugh and give you a thumbs up, but we really aren't laughing WITH you...if you know what I mean. |
| Posted by: B 2004-04-09 11:47:06 AM |