When Guerrilla War begins to work...

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:05 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3748390.stm
It seems a group of US Reserves refused a mission.
Guerrilla War tries to get the soldiers of the enemy to turn on their superiors by lowering morale so much that the soldiers refuse orders and the entire occupying or enemy armed forces refuses to risk their life for that they see as nothing worthwhile.
And it has apparently begun to happen in Iraq.
If the US doesn't pull its head out of its ass and realize that occupying nations doesn't work in a post-colonial world, they might as well lay down theirs arms.
The US has to fight this war, as I've said before, by winning hearts and minds and never through offensives that even even the slightest possibility to kill civilians. Guerrilla war usually depends on the occupying or enemy being brutal against the civilian populace and flooding the guerrilla ranks with willing participates.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:12 pm

Or they would have done the mission if the equipment was in working order which I thought was the gist of the matter, not because they didn't believe in their presence in Iraq.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:24 pm

The BBC's Nick Childs in the Pentagon says US convoy missions have been a main target of attacks by Iraqi insurgents, but are also vital to the US-led forces - so any breach of military discipline here is likely to be taken seriously.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:58 pm

That sounds more like the psychological operations aspect of guerilla war, which is a broader political strategy.

Check out this alleged CIA manual on pyschological aspects of guerilla war.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:47 pm

These guys screwed up. You can't refuse a mission for any reason - not because you don't think the equipment is good enough, or ready, or the mission is dangerous, or even if you think the orders are stupid and are going to get you killed. And you certainly can't call home about it, asking your parents to call the press and intervene and "raise hell" as quoted in one phone call. You can't run an army this way. Orders have to be followed, logical or not, stupid or not, dangerous or not.

I sympathize with them if they were ordered on a dangerous mission and felt ill equipped. But the mission is supreme - if you get killed, well that's what the army is about. People get killed carrying out missions - that's why it's called war. It's too late to protest when you're in a combat zone.

Grifman