Since the beginning of the war in Palestine I’ve stated several times that the Israeli military is not truly professional, being more akin to a Middle Eastern tribal militia. I’ve cited Alastair Crooke’s views in that regard, and other commentators have also weighed in, usually emphasizing the inexperience of the officer corps and the reliance on relatively poorly trained and motivated reservers.
Does anyone find it odd that Israel can assassinate high ranking military officers in foreign countries and yet in Gaza needs to kill hundreds of civilians to get one?
Here's another example. The US military created a cognitive perception of defeat in the Iraqi army, accompanied by widespread death and destruction within that subset of the Iraqi population. We defeated their army. But broad swaths of the Iraqi population have refused to acknowledge that *they* have been defeated. In spite of the death and destruction that resulted from US activities there. And we see the results.
The Israeli position seems to be that Arabs in Palestine are being unfair because they have refused to develop a cognitive perception of defeat and instead insist upon justice. In spite of their brutal oppression and dispossession. And we see the results.
Basically the military doctrine under discussion may be good for winning battles--although it's not a magical formally, as 2006 shows--but experience shows it's very unlikely to win a war. Winning a war, establishing a peace, requires far more than just winning battles. The GWOT has demonstrated that repeatedly. Imposing an alien culture is usually a recipe for resumption of conflict.
Does anyone find it odd that Israel can assassinate high ranking military officers in foreign countries and yet in Gaza needs to kill hundreds of civilians to get one?
With what the Jews are doing, they are claiming the genocide dogbox, and the Germans are free.
Here's another example. The US military created a cognitive perception of defeat in the Iraqi army, accompanied by widespread death and destruction within that subset of the Iraqi population. We defeated their army. But broad swaths of the Iraqi population have refused to acknowledge that *they* have been defeated. In spite of the death and destruction that resulted from US activities there. And we see the results.
The Israeli position seems to be that Arabs in Palestine are being unfair because they have refused to develop a cognitive perception of defeat and instead insist upon justice. In spite of their brutal oppression and dispossession. And we see the results.
Which is another way of saying that US military doctrine has limited applicability in the real world.
Basically the military doctrine under discussion may be good for winning battles--although it's not a magical formally, as 2006 shows--but experience shows it's very unlikely to win a war. Winning a war, establishing a peace, requires far more than just winning battles. The GWOT has demonstrated that repeatedly. Imposing an alien culture is usually a recipe for resumption of conflict.