Green Energy
Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch has posted John Lewis' (professor of history at Ashland University) reply to criticism of his essay "No Substitute for Victory." The two main objections that Lewis responds to are whether it is possible to seperate Islam from politics and the "stateless" nature of the enemy.
In a previous article John Lewis notes the similiarities between Islam and earlier Middle Eastern religions:
The main problem with the War on Global Jihad as Prof. Lewis argues is the West's refusal to fight it. Lewis documents the long history of Western and American appeasement of Jihad and terrorism at his website with this chronology. He has also just posted an article on the specific case of the United States government turning a blind eye to Yasir Arafat's complicity in the kidnapping and murder of American diplomats in March 1973.
It is not just kooks and "wingnuts" who urge that the United States not pursue victory against those who have declared war upon our life, liberty and property. John Lynn is a highly regarded military historian at the University of Illinois. In 2003 he published the worthwhile Battle: A History of Combat and Culture, with additional material for the 2004 edition. However, the book is marred by its last chapter on terrorism. Lynn concludes the book with this statement:
It is not the unwillingness to suffer losses that is the problem, it is America's leaders unwillingness to inflict losses upon the enemy that precludes victory. Just a reminder on how wars are won:
As Lynn acknowledges, our government's refusal to consider victory an option and to defend the nation will lead to endless "sacrifices" within "tolerable limits" along with the continuing diminution of our rights through an endless series of yellow, orange and red terror alerts. "A tolerable level of violence," welcome to Northern Ireland; it is all the victory is not an option advocates have to offer Americans.
Crossposted at The Dougout
- Islamic States And Thought Crimes: The Thug's Ideal
Historian John Lewis gave a talk on March 13 at Georgia Institute of Technology. As he reports, on American campuses today the barbarians are well represented: I was prepared for opposition to the idea of war with Iran, and I acknowledged up front that...
- Bernard Lewis: Muslims 'about To Take Over Europe'
(JPost) Islam could soon be the dominant force in a Europe which, in the name of political correctness, has abdicated the battle for cultural and religious control, Prof. Bernard Lewis, the world-renowned Middle Eastern and Islamic scholar, said on Sunday....
- Ayn Rand Institute Presents: The Jihad Against The West: The Real Threat And The Right Response
ARI's ObjectivistConferences has a stellar lineup for this three-day event to be held in Boston: DANIEL PIPES, director of the Middle East Forum YARON BROOK, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute FLEMMING ROSE, culture editor of Jyllands-Posten...
- Fighting For Liberty Without Apologies
Rebecca West argues that we are deluded if we think we can win a war by treating a savage enemy as if they were civilized. But she thinks we are diminished because of it. John Lewis says otherwise: "Ms. West sees the central judgment that is needed...
- Spanish Government And Its Appeasement Of Terrorism
Zapatero, the Spanish PM, said here that the negotiations (aka appeasement) with ETA (the Basque terrorist band) are a "Victory of Democracy." He does not demand from the terrorists that they renounce violence or anything of the sort. For him, the sole...
Green Energy
Still No Substitute for Victory
Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch has posted John Lewis' (professor of history at Ashland University) reply to criticism of his essay "No Substitute for Victory." The two main objections that Lewis responds to are whether it is possible to seperate Islam from politics and the "stateless" nature of the enemy.
In a previous article John Lewis notes the similiarities between Islam and earlier Middle Eastern religions:
I just finished teaching an undergraduate university class on the Ancient Near East: 15 weeks on Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. I read as many original documents and modern histories—and looked at as much art—as I had time to do. I became intrigued by the many parallels between radical Islam and the ancient historical background...There are many more parallels between Islam and the Near Eastern past, and the transmission of these ideas through history is complex. But there is one central issue at root: only reason can allow human beings to reject the claim that God dictates the truth to submissive servants, who gain his favor by imposing that claim by force.
The main problem with the War on Global Jihad as Prof. Lewis argues is the West's refusal to fight it. Lewis documents the long history of Western and American appeasement of Jihad and terrorism at his website with this chronology. He has also just posted an article on the specific case of the United States government turning a blind eye to Yasir Arafat's complicity in the kidnapping and murder of American diplomats in March 1973.
It is not just kooks and "wingnuts" who urge that the United States not pursue victory against those who have declared war upon our life, liberty and property. John Lynn is a highly regarded military historian at the University of Illinois. In 2003 he published the worthwhile Battle: A History of Combat and Culture, with additional material for the 2004 edition. However, the book is marred by its last chapter on terrorism. Lynn concludes the book with this statement:
The train bombings in Spain on 11 March 2004 killed 190 people and brought down the government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, ending Spanish support for the United States in Iraq. Unwillingness to suffer losses gives terrorists tremendous leverage. There seems little chance that the threat of terrorism will disappear any time soon, so control and management of terrorism within tolerable limits will constitute success. MacArthur's idea of victory can never apply...Every death is tragic, but we may have to learn to tolerate a certain amount of loss...A war on terrorism is likely to last decades; sacrifices would essentially be permanent.
[Emphasis added]
It is not the unwillingness to suffer losses that is the problem, it is America's leaders unwillingness to inflict losses upon the enemy that precludes victory. Just a reminder on how wars are won:
The purpose of war is not to die for your country. The purpose of war is to ensure that the other guy dies for his country. - General Patton
As Lynn acknowledges, our government's refusal to consider victory an option and to defend the nation will lead to endless "sacrifices" within "tolerable limits" along with the continuing diminution of our rights through an endless series of yellow, orange and red terror alerts. "A tolerable level of violence," welcome to Northern Ireland; it is all the victory is not an option advocates have to offer Americans.
Crossposted at The Dougout
- Islamic States And Thought Crimes: The Thug's Ideal
Historian John Lewis gave a talk on March 13 at Georgia Institute of Technology. As he reports, on American campuses today the barbarians are well represented: I was prepared for opposition to the idea of war with Iran, and I acknowledged up front that...
- Bernard Lewis: Muslims 'about To Take Over Europe'
(JPost) Islam could soon be the dominant force in a Europe which, in the name of political correctness, has abdicated the battle for cultural and religious control, Prof. Bernard Lewis, the world-renowned Middle Eastern and Islamic scholar, said on Sunday....
- Ayn Rand Institute Presents: The Jihad Against The West: The Real Threat And The Right Response
ARI's ObjectivistConferences has a stellar lineup for this three-day event to be held in Boston: DANIEL PIPES, director of the Middle East Forum YARON BROOK, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute FLEMMING ROSE, culture editor of Jyllands-Posten...
- Fighting For Liberty Without Apologies
Rebecca West argues that we are deluded if we think we can win a war by treating a savage enemy as if they were civilized. But she thinks we are diminished because of it. John Lewis says otherwise: "Ms. West sees the central judgment that is needed...
- Spanish Government And Its Appeasement Of Terrorism
Zapatero, the Spanish PM, said here that the negotiations (aka appeasement) with ETA (the Basque terrorist band) are a "Victory of Democracy." He does not demand from the terrorists that they renounce violence or anything of the sort. For him, the sole...