Re: Long term self-protection [was Re: BIAS: CNN commits fraud...]

From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Tue May 20 2003 - 12:07:57 MDT

  • Next message: Hal Finney: "Re: Status of Superrationality (was Left/Right... can't we do better than this?)"

    In a message dated 5/20/2003 12:23:09 PM Central Standard Time,
    mail@HarveyNewstrom.com writes: We also have no idea where Osama bin Laden is
    or Saddam Hussein, and we apparently haven't stopped Al Qaeda. The world's
    greatest superpower and all of our technology find it difficult to find
    individuals who want to hide. Our military strength may be so overwhelming
    that this is the only viable option left to our opponents. Conventional war
    may be dead because it is so thoroughly deterred, and only unconventional war
    is left.

    Harvey,
           If you read the modern books on military strategy and tactics you will
    find that is exactly what all the talk of asymmetrical warfare is about.
           The military theoreticians divide a nation's war making capacity into
    four levels:
    1st level -- the US and only the US.
    2nd level -- England and some others. I don't have a specific list.
    3rd level -- I don't have a list for you. Probably Iraq.
    4th level -- Most of the 3rd world countries.

           A key thing to notice is that the US has trained so many 2nd, 3rd and
    4th world countries that they all know American strategy and tactics right
    down to the dotted i's and crossed t's. Consequently they have all worked
    diligently on developing asymmetrical tactics and strategy to counter known
    US methods.
           Part of the reason asymmetrical tactics haven't worked better is that
    we have worked on defending against them. That is why the opposition has not
    been able to use the protest movement as effectually as they did during
    Vietnam.
           If you are interested the books are around. Our military
    theoreticians wrote the ones I have seen. Mostly they discuss battles and
    campaigns where we had problems due to good tactics on the part of the
    opposition. Those are the ones we can learn from.
           As to knowing where bin Laden is? It would be nice to catch him, but,
    so long he is living in fear in some hovel in Pakistan and afraid to even use
    his cell phone to coordinate either attacks or defense haven't we got time on
    our side. Did you notice that the latest round of attacks were in Moslem
    countries. Even the one in Saudi Arabia killed more Moslems than Americans.
    Ron h.

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue May 20 2003 - 12:20:10 MDT