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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Please welcome our new neighbors, the Mongol Horde |
| 2007-10-26 |
| Midnight Sun Quick, what are Mongolia’s three geographic neighbors? There’s Russia to the North, China to the South—and then, of course, there is…America? In an odd geopolitical move, Mongolia has volunteered to join America’s global empire, designating the United States as its “third neighbor”—I am not making that up—and adopting English as its official second language, even though the nearest English-speaking nation is thousands of miles away. . . . |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #14 Moreso than even the HUNS/HUNNIC Hordes, the Mongols introduced TOTAL MANEUVER WARFARE = HIGH-MOBILITY WARFARE-BLITZKRIEG TO THE FOOT PHALANX-CENTRIC WEST. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-26 20:06 |
| #13 LOL - Big Bro sees all |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-10-26 17:50 |
| #12 LOL@ #7 you twit, thought you could come in under the radar did 'ya? |
| Posted by: Thomas Woof 2007-10-26 17:11 |
| #11 #5 Robert Kaplan's book Imperial Grunts has a chapter on the SF in Mongolia. Check it out I read that book a couple summers ago. I came away very impressed with the officer in charge of the U.S. mission, and even more impressed the the Mogols. I thought, "damn! Forget sweden; these are the types of allies we need." Great book, highly recommended. |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2007-10-26 15:29 |
| #10 The Assassins "had emerged because of a schism in the Shia Muslim sect and established themselves in northern and eastern Persia by taking and controlling a series of mountain fortifications. Behind their walls they lived a contemplative life, producing beautifully wrought paintings and metalwork, but beyond their retreats they terrorized those civilizations they deemed heretical and so earned the enmity not just of the rest of the Islamic world but eventually of Europe. The local Ismaili leader had done little to enhance their reputation. Rather than confront his enemies in open combat he preferred to sponsor a campaign of political murder, usually executed with a dagger in the back, as the means to his end. " ... "The Mongols made first for the Elburz Mountains, where the Assassins lay in wait behind what they believed to be their impregnable fortresses. With extraordinary ingenuity the Mongol generals and their Chinese engineers manoeuvred their artillery up the mountain slopes and set them up around the walls of the fortress of Alamut. But before the order was given to commence firing the Assassins' Grand Master, Rukn ad-Din, signalled that he wanted to negotiate. Hulegu countered that he must immediately order the destruction of his own fortifications; when Rukn ad-Din prevaricated, the bombardment commenced. Under the most devastatingly accurate artillery fire, the walls quickly tumbled and Rukn ad-Din surrendered. Hulegu took him prisoner, transported him to every Assassin castle they confronted, and paraded him before each garrison with the demand for an immediate surrender. Some obliged, as at Alamut; while others, like Gerdkuh, had to be taken by force. Today the spherical stone missiles fired by the artillery teams at the walls still litter the perimeter of the ruins. Whether each 'eagle's nest' surrendered or was taken, the Mongols put all the inhabitants to the sword; even the women in their homes and the babies in their cradles. As this slaughter continued, Rukn ad-Din begged Hulegu to allow him to go to Qaraqorum where he would pay homage to the Great Khan and plead for clemency. Hulegu agreed, but when he got to Qaragorum Mongke Khan refused to see him. It was effectively a sentence of death. On the journey back his Mongol escort turned on the Grand Master and his attendants, who were 'kicked to a pulp' . The Persian historian Juvaini commented that 'tine world has been cleansed'. Five hundred years later Edward Gibbon echoed those sentiments, claiming that the Mongols' campaign 'may be considered as a service to mankind'. It took two years for the Mongols to dislodge over 100 'eagles' nests', but in the process they virtually expunged the Assassins from Persia. " Storm from the East: From Genghis Khan to Khubilai Khan , 1993, by Robert Marshall |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-10-26 14:36 |
| #9 The Mongolian officers in Iraq have a sense of humor. One remarked that they had experience in military operations in Baghdad. In 1255 Hulagu sent a message to the caliph, Al-Musta'sim "When I lead my army against Baghdad in anger, whether you hide in heaven or in earth I will bring you down from the spinning spheres; I will toss you in the air like a lion. I will leave no one alive in your realm; I will burn your city, your land, your self. If you wish to spare yourself and your venerable family, give heed to my advice with the ear of intelligence. If you do not, you will see what God has willed." The Mongolian version of "shock and awe" so devastated Baghdad that the city was left unrecognizable. Homes and mosques were razed and between 200,000 and 800,000 people were killed. The war's chroniclers said the Tigris River ran red with blood and then black from ink after the barbarians threw the Caliph of Baghdad's library into the river. The Mongolian generals struck such terror into the hearts of the Iraqis that the caliph not only agreed to hand over all his riches but 700 princesses as well, in exchange for his life. The Mongols, however, ignored the offer, rolling the ruler of Baghdad into a carpet and trampling him to death with horses. |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-10-26 14:23 |
| #8 UM says "heh. Maybe the mongol horde will be the Good Guys this time around. " Are you sure that they were the bad guys, last time? 8^) |
| Posted by: AlanC 2007-10-26 13:10 |
| #7 [John Fn Kerry has been pooplisted.] |
| Posted by: John Fn Kerry 2007-10-26 12:42 |
| #6 Please welcome our new neighbors, the Mongol Horde [Given: underedumacated impression...] From what I've read [National Geographic and Science mag ~:)] and seen on TeeWee, the modern mongols are impressive open folks that have the Right Stuff. Compared to the Chi-coms they are WAY independent.. self starters rugged individualists [Ayn Rand eat yourn heart out!] |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-10-26 11:50 |
| #5 Robert Kaplan's book Imperial Grunts has a chapter on the SF in Mongolia. Check it out. |
| Posted by: GORT 2007-10-26 11:20 |
| #4 heh. Maybe the mongol horde will be the Good Guys this time around. |
| Posted by: Unutle McGurque8861 2007-10-26 09:33 |
| #3 There are Mongolian troops in Iraq, or were at least. They've also sent a couple cadets to West Point under the program in which foreign students do the 4 years and then are commissioned in their home armies. We've been building relations at the military level for some time. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-10-26 09:31 |
| #2 Maybe the Mongols are looking to the past and the future. If Beijing wants to press it's "historical" claim to Taiwan, Ulaanbaatar can press it's claim too. Then we would be neighbors :) |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-10-26 09:11 |
| #1 i guess that goes along with being a major maritime player with no connection with the ocean |
| Posted by: sinse 2007-10-26 08:30 |
