America: The Strongest Tribe in Iraq

I just finished reading a book. Not just any book... here's the history.

Extremely Conservative Allrie enjoys her kids--pretty much no matter what. Liberal Erica enjoys The Colbert Report. Although Steven Colbert's show is more about entertainment than news, and he is generally pretty balanced, there is no doubt that it is a liberal show. But it is funny--and I absolutely love how he uses props--magnificently done in my humble, yet somewhat educated in the topic of props, opinion.

One night in August he had Bing West on talkingabout his newbook: The Strongest Tribe. It intrigued me so giving ita few weeks to reach the library shelves, I checked...not yet, but I put my name on the waitlist, so I was one of the first in our county library system to get it!

As I began I saw that the book broke down the War inIraq into years, and sections of years. At first, while interesting, I found that I could read only about 1/2 chapter at a time...then as I got into it, I could not put the book down! I think every voting American should read this book!

Since that will not happen, I want to share a little. the final chapter looks forward to 2009 and beyond, not just forIraq, but for the US as well. [The author took 14 trips toIraq for this book, and is a Vietnam Vet. This is his 3rd book on Iraq.] Appendix C is entitled Bing West's Counterinsurgency Lessons. It summarizes much of what he explains in the last chapter in great detail. [This may sound a little negative, but I promise that in context it is anything but! Bing West reports, analyzes and explains how the US made mistake--as in every war--but how leaders on the ground figured out bit by bit how to win not just the initial war--toppling Saddam, but the "peace" as well in unifying a fractured country]

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1. Partner Always. Don't fight someone else's battles for him. The goal of US units and advisorteams is to nurture armed units--army and police. If a US unit is not combined with a local unit, it cannot succeed.

2. Fire Incompetents. Americans go in because the host nation failed. Insist on a mechanism to relieve those who fail. Sovereignty should not shield failure.

3. Act as Police. The key is identifying insurgents, not redressing their political grievances. Installing "good government" is not a US militart mission. The US militarty has neglected basic police metrics and methods. It is fooklish to fight an insurgency without conducting a census and employing biometric tools.

4. Be Agressive. UA unit or advisory team must set the example and spend most of its time outside the wire. Force protection is not a mission. The goal is a clearance rate [kill or capture] of over 50% for violent crimes--shootings, bomings, kidnappings, etc. The insurgent must know he will die or be captured.

5. Don't Catch and Release. Insist on a system of incarceration based on common sense rather than democratic ideals. It is crazy to catch insurgents and let them go a few months later.

6. Bribe. The US militarty has no competence to restructure an economy. Every platoon and advisory team should have a monthly allowance of several thousand dollars to dispence for goodwill and information.

7. Treat Everyone with Respect. First, do no harm. The task--that will take years--is to separate the people from the insurgants, not to act like a thug and recruit for the insurgants. If you wouldn't push someone around at home, don't do it anywhere else. NoBetter Friend comes before No Worse Enemy. If foot patrols by local police departments require more than four men, the area has not been cleared. If you don't have a confident, competent police chief, the area is not being held.

8. Barriers Work. "Gated Communities"--walls, concrete barriers, etc.--greatly impede commerce, but they impede the entrance and exit of assasins.

9. Fight the Top. In Iraq and Afghanistan, as in Vietnam, the high-level officials were the most resistant to change. Thwe top levels of the US government have failed to establish tough practices to force change, particularly n ripping out corruption at ministerial levels. If sovereignty guarantees massive corruption, sedition, and recalcitrance that undercut the war effort, then Amewrican soldiers should not be committed.

10. A divisive Society Will Not Remain the Strongest Tribe. As a society, America'[s martial values of patience, sacrifice, and unity have declined. Iraq was as much a symptom as a problem. We foiught in Iraq as a nation divided, with many of our elected leaders willing to lose. No nation can sustain its values by claiming to support the soldier while opposing his mission. If we are divided in the next war, we will not succeed."

Again, get the book. Read it. It will help any and everyone to understand things we must as we vote, as we write to our political leaders, and as we send our children forward in courage to be a part of the force for freedom in retaining ouselves as The Strongest Tribe.