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May 25, 2005

Indian Country

Bill Roggio talks about the US/Iraqi approach to pacifying western Iraq. This reminds me of another pacification effort the US fought more than 100 years ago. Then, as now, our advantages included numbers, technology, Western military doctrine, a recent history of success and fighting far from our homeland (thus protecting our civilian population). Then, as now, the enemy's advantages included fighting for their home ground (motivation, in other words), the ability to hide, knowledge of the area, and fanatical devotion to their cause.

Then, as apparently now, our strategy was to build forts, and operate mobile forces from those forts to destroy the enemy in the field. Later, we would move in with government civil institutions to push the enemy further outwards and hold the territory the enemy was forced to abandon. How did this previous effort turn out?

Here's a hint.

Posted by jeff at May 25, 2005 8:50 AM

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