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Does America Like Losing Wars?

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rangerrebew:

Does America Like Losing Wars?
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By Michael C. Davies
July 27, 2021
 

Afghanistan will soon be chiseled into the history books as another in the long list of strategic failures for the United States of America. This ever-growing collection of losses would typically be a cause for concern for a global superpower. Yet, it engenders no radical reaction amongst the populace, the military, the national security bureaucracy, or elected leaders. Only gentle concern is expressed along with desperate attempts to claim even “a modicum of success” for this state of affairs. For all the hand-wringing that will occur as the Taliban claim victory, the lack of concern, let alone action, to avoid this fate again is conspicuous. The question must therefore be asked: does America like losing wars?

It's not just the failure of the big wars of Iraq and Afghanistan that matter here either. Numerous other interventions of the past 20 years, direct and indirect, are all failures too. Yemen, like Libya, has fractured into warring mini-states. Uganda has become a source of terror itself. Al-Shabaab in Somalia has created an efficient, geographically diverse, predictable and ruthless "mafia-style" taxation system. The Islamic State is poised to make a comeback regardless of the military destruction wrought. The Philippines remains incapable of defeating its threats after a century of intervention. Bashar al-Assad is slowly reasserting political control across most of the country. Al-Qaeda is “unlikely” to be defeated. And of course, the War on Drugs has long been considered “discredited,” using “failed and counterproductive strategy[ies].” Furthermore, on closer inspection, even the Gulf War should be moved to the loss category. Asking whether America likes losing wars should be normally provocative, yet, in reality, it becomes more of a legitimate analytical inquiry as the failures mount up for all to see.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/07/27/does_america_like_losing_wars_787251.html

rangerrebew:
I know the military doesn't.  I can't speak for congress on that issue but feel I can about democrats who, I am positive, like to see it happen to the military. :truce:

andy58-in-nh:
I would place the fault squarely on our administrative and national security bureaucracies - our elite.

For many years, we have been drawn into wars in the wrong places, with unclear objectives, and for the wrong reasons.

And virtually none of the human cost has been borne by members of our national foreign policy elites, for it is not their sons or daughters who go to war.

The children of the American heartland, do.

America needs to rebuild its defensive capabilities on land and sea, and do so according to the informed opinions of military experts, not bureaucrats, and certainly not armchair generals.

No More Stupid Wars.   

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