The Laughing Wolf

The War: Where Are We

Now that we have a far too brief review of the past and what lies beneath it, we can finally start taking a look at where we are now. Or rather, where are we in the War on Terror.

9-11 ended everything that came before, on more than one level. It was then that chance and fate changed all the assumptions and all the games that were then in motion. Bin Laden himself has admitted that it worked far better than he had planned, even though the entire plan was not carried out. Citizens living up to their responsibilities and the immediate grounding of all planes stopped thing cold.

The one thing 9-11 was not, was a declaration of war. That had actually occurred many years before, and was even a formal document. It was a fatwah, rather than an act of congress, parliament, or the like, but it was a declaration of war all the same. The initial acts of war were not seen as such, and largely ignored or dismissed. Rubbing salt into the wounds of such dismissal was the treatment by the U.S. of these acts as law enforcement issues. This ignoring could not be borne, and along with a failure to do anything other than symbolic retaliation and running away, guaranteed that something larger would be done. Like a kid having a temper tantrum, bin Laden and all those organizations who were under the Al Queda umbrella were determined to be noticed.

They succeeded.

And they failed as well.

America was indeed shocked at the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It has changed our society and brought these people to the full attention of the government of the Republic. It has failed to hold the attention of most Citizens of the Republic. For that majority, this is not a real war. After all, it was not a nation that attacked us, but a group of insane fanatics. It was a symbolic act, reinforced by coverage in the Old Media that focuses entirely upon the symbol of Ground Zero, and willfully ignores that which lies beneath.

The attacks on the World Trade Center were indeed symbolic, and their loss has become a symbol to this country. The problem is, that by focusing on the symbology, the true act of war is lost. The attacks on Washington DC were not symbolic, but calculated acts designed to limit an effective response. Those attacks were designed both to prevent full retaliation and engagement against not only the umbrella, but all enemies around the world. It was designed to cripple and maim the command and control of America.

Never forget that.

Responsible members of government have not done so. The shock, the horror, the awe, and the anger of that day did something that bin Laden and a host of others who contributed to this never considered: it changed the game. The old games and the old rules were out the window. The sleeping giant was waking up, and it was not happy.

That was said very clearly by President Bush, who informed the world that you were either with us, or with the terrorists: so choose. To those wrapped up in the games, this was mere rhetoric. To those who were listening and paying attention, it was the announcement of a totally new game with very new and deadly rules. Examples were needed, and they were found.

Afghanistan was the first to find out that America was serious. Rhetoric and such were no match for troops and bombs, and the Taliban was removed from power. Not gone, but removed and hunted. Unlike the last 60 or so years, America did not cut and run. America committed to the long haul and began reforming and rebuilding that nation, and it is a long-term project. America also tried the full international monty, by having other nations and the United Nations take part.

That has not been entirely successful. To no one’s surprise, the United Nations has done very little in Afghanistan. At the first backfire of a vehicle, the agencies involved cut and run. It has been two plus years since the Taliban fell, and efforts to bring control and government are still fledgling at best because the international community is not truly backing it. Only the U.S. and a few key allies have troops and aid organizations out and doing anything much beyond Kabul city limits. Take a hard look at what is being done by the U.N. in Afghanistan, and then look at what is being done by individual countries and private aid organizations. The difference is astounding. The difference was noted by the government of the Republic as well.

The next example reached the world, and those playing the old games were not happy. Iraq tried to continue its game of bluff and bluster, as well as providing financial and other real support to the terrorists. They were warned, they were given every chance in the world to straighten up and fly right. They did not. Saddam and that government are gone.

The world was horrified. Or, rather, the world of the old games was horrified. That cowboy, that ignorant American was serious. Mon dieu! Did he not understand the game? After all, it had been being played for nearly 100 years. You made the token attack, you postured, and you bribed. In the process, you also took bribes, kickbacks, and more so that you made personal fortunes while advancing your country. Who cared if it was at the expense of others, it was THE GAME! It was politics as usual.

But it wasn’t politics as usual. The President meant what he said and said what he meant. Such was unheard of in modern politics. The ramifications scare many, and their fear shows.

They are right to be scared, for this is an entirely new game and they have not adapted well. Worse yet, a lot of nasty things have been exposed for the world to see, if it has the will to do so.

First off, America completed the fastest military action of all time, in taking out a major nation in a matter of weeks. This nation on paper was very powerful, with one of the largest and best equipped armies in the world. Using new tactics and weapons, this army was neutralized rapidly. In that few weeks, for just a few hundred casualties, the war was won. Nothing like this has ever been done before. Even today, there are less than 500 total combat casualties for the war and the rebuilding phase. Yes, less than 500 – the figure used so often in the Old Media includes not just combat casualties but accidents, illness, etc.

One major fact ignored in the Old Media about this rapid campaign was the intelligence windfall it produced. Among the papers grabbed early on were lists of bribes paid to journalists, politicians, and other opinion makers around the world. There were accounts of the massive corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program. There was more, so much more.

France stands exposed for a lot of crooked dealings, deliberately betraying a formal ally to an enemy of said ally, and there are interesting suggestions that a number of individuals will be exposed as being on Saddam’s payroll. Her immediate dreams of power and wealth from Iraq thwarted, France is concentrating on trying to control the EU and bullying Taiwan with its new best friend Communist China. The picture here is far from pretty.

Germany is trying hard to be a dominant power in the EU, but its economy is now in shambles and some interesting things are coming to light there as well. Including what may be government collusion in dealings by German companies to provide Saddam and his friends with technology banned by the U.N. Again, not a pretty picture.

Russia is less than happy at the loss of hard currency that Saddam represented, along with exposure of its violations of sanctions and such. The extent of what went on here may not be known for decades, as there is some vested interest in the U.S. for making that so and preventing Russia from becoming a very serious problem in other ways.

One unexpected occurrence was Libya seeing the light in a big way. Concerned that they were the real target, or next, Libya came clean about a lot of bad things. The prize on this was the underground nuclear network being run by Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Libya, and North Korea, with apparent help from China and others. Interesting indeed, and casts an interesting light on France’s “new” relationship with China, given France’s role in early efforts by Saddam to develop nuclear weapons. Efforts only thwarted by an Israeli airstrike that took out reactor, cover, and research. Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea are reportedly very unhappy with Libya over this. One other nation is reported to be as well, but until there is something citable out there, Moi will hold fire.
Now, let’s turn to Iraq itself. Saddam is out of power and his venomous sons are dead. The rape rooms for children and adults are closed. The torture chambers are closed. The use of chemical and other weapons – weapons of mass destruction – against segments of the population has ended. The imprisonment of children as weapons against their parents is over. The mass executions are ended. The feeding of people into tree chippers is ended. The list goes on. The Iraqi people now have the opportunity for a better future.

Of greater importance from the viewpoint of the war, the funding and training assistance provided by Iraq is now gone. Whatever other support and assistance may have been taking place, or planned, is now gone. The sharing of intelligence from the services of Iraq or provided by alleged allies of the U.S. is now gone.

We must not forget, however, that certain things have also been exposed in the U.S. Serious flaws in intelligence have been revealed. Just as politicians abroad are showing their true stripes, so to are politicians in the U.S. Some are rising to the occasion. Others, alas, still try to play by the old rules and are interested in continuing to mouth the platitudes and gain power for themselves. By their acts, so shall ye know them. That, however, is for another day.

So, where are we right now? Two governments that supported terror and the fundamentalist war against the U.S. and all other infidels are gone. Politicians around the world stand exposed for what they are. Most of all, we stand exposed for what we truly are. By our decisions, so too shall we be revealed.

Tomorrow: The future.

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