tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528Sat, 14 Sep 2024 03:39:55 +0000It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)Blogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-7775340885710412409Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:15:00 +00002008-04-01T15:06:17.312-07:00The business in Basra has been regarded as evidence of a wide range of things already, some of them with somewhat less foundation than others. There's so much material on the subject, of so many different bents all claiming different victories or losses for whoever that it's tough to see what is actually happening. If there's one thing the internet has always been bad at, its staying http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/04/sound-and-fury-over-basra.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-1831493821208286934Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:12:00 +00002008-03-03T08:01:32.308-08:00From FM 3-24, in the Required Reading section:"1-149. Ultimate success in COIN is gained by protecting the populace, not the COIN force. If military forces remain in their compounds, they lose touch with the people, appear to be running scared, and cede the initiative to the insurgents. Aggressive saturation patrolling, ambushes, and listening post operations must be conducted, risk shared http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/03/walking-walk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-8823286409656772870Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:05:00 +00002008-02-25T09:54:03.874-08:00First, Al-Sadr has extended JAM's cease-fire for another 6 months, approximately. The commanders were right, and these guys were wrong.The Turks, for their part, have begun a very tightly controlled ground offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan against PKK insurgents, although it's actual duration is still somewhat in question. It doesn't appear that this offensive will threaten Iraq's overall stability http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-about-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-373374175879396781Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:57:00 +00002008-02-17T14:59:39.621-08:00A counterinsurgency is inherently socio-political in nature, and its resolution requires socio-political solutions. But there's something important to bear in mind when we consider AQI's involvement in the Iraqi insurgency, which is that AQI is not part of the insurgency - not a valid one, anyway.AQI, while some news outlets make the claim that they are regaining their footing, is not actually ahttp://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/02/rejects-not-rebels.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-8008074491525341562Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:03:00 +00002008-02-09T12:42:36.972-08:00Continuing campaign coverage in the US is creating a dearth of useful information about Iraq, but there are a few things worth taking note of right now.The first, and arguably the most important, is that the US Army is working on a new combat manual:"The new guide is seen as a major development that draws on lessons of the wars being fought by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq."As soon as it is http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/02/scraps-from-blackout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-4519829566018317871Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:14:00 +00002008-01-31T17:26:21.416-08:00A post over at DailyKos has attempted to argue that the American effort in Iraq has gone nowhere and accomplished nothing. It's author is attempting to make this claim on the fact that since last month, US casualties have increased, although the first sentence makes what must have been a very difficult concession to make:"For the first time in five months, month-to-month deaths in Iraq have http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/01/measures-of-men.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-2585647002655905030Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:29:00 +00002008-01-28T07:12:35.771-08:00Let me preface this by saying that Dahr Jamail, a journalist who writes for IPS, has actually been to Iraq and has done lots of unembedded work - this naturally makes him better qualified to speak on matters of how the Iraqis feel about things than I am. I'm not impugning his character for who he talks to or what he sees.That said, I am taking serious issue with his total lack of neutrality. I http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/01/dahr-jamails-insurgent-mix-tape.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-3612480583607693012Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:05:00 +00002008-01-17T18:22:29.719-08:00There's been quite a bit of positive news on Iraq lately. We have the BBC saying this:"Iraq faces a period of economic growth and political progress, according to assessments by the International Monetary Fund and the UN. "The IMF sees 7% growth in 2008 and a similar rise next year, and says oil revenues from buoyant exports should be up by 200,000 barrels a day."That's very good. This is the http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/01/anti-war-lie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-8992176974122013262Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:33:00 +00002008-01-12T10:08:54.116-08:00The very two-faced nature of Iran's activities toward Iraq have always been regarded as an issue, but for some reason it's not always clear what their intent is. To me, it seems fairly clear that Iranian diplomacy is very clearly aimed at undermining the American effort while at the same time attempting to win over the anti-American elements in Iraq. That would explain their ridiculous, http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/01/iranian-roulette.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-8791473334595636620Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:41:00 +00002008-01-10T09:10:06.251-08:00The new offensives in Northern Iraq are directed much as we might expect them to be. I've mentioned before why Diyala province especially is a key territory, so this should come as no surprise:"US military commanders have launched a joint US-Iraqi assault against al-Qaeda in Iraq focused on Diyala and three other provinces north of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital."Other news reports detail how this http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/01/idea-whose-time-has-come.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-6307834982330450304Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:50:00 +00002008-01-08T03:12:24.495-08:00First, if you're a regular reader, thanks very much for your patience these last few weeks. I'm now very comfortably situated in England, everything went as well as could be expected and in some cases a little better.While I was gone, the numbers for December 2007 came in at 21 US fatalities, and icasualties.org places civilian and ISF casualties at 548 - just a shade lower than November 2007.http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-deal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-2163619049763861490Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:58:00 +00002007-12-20T11:43:24.428-08:00Relatively recently, two big propaganda guns on the terrorist side of things have been making some noise: Al-Qaida's Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Harith al-Dhari of the Association of Muslim Scholars (see Iraq The Model for more on the latter). What's interesting is not that they're lying about the current circumstances - that's to be expected from insurgencies the world over. But they're really http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/twisting-myth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-1616756110355829256Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:27:00 +00002007-12-17T12:46:36.870-08:00My apologies for not having a new entry lately. It's finals week and I've been a touch busy, and just haven't had time for a well-written post. I should have something worthwhile before the week is over, though, so please stay tuned.Some news about the blog: in January, I will be going overseas to study in England (Canterbury specifically) for about three months, so I will in all likelihood http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/authors-note.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-4583584186295689238Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:21:00 +00002007-12-13T11:17:22.239-08:00The word going around lately is that Al-Sadr is using his down-time to restructure JAM (duh), and that he's going to try to build it in the image of the Lebanese Hezbollah organization:"Many analysts say what may re-emerge is an Iraqi version of Lebanon's Hezbollah — a state within a state that embraces politics while maintaining a separate military and social structure that holds powerful sway http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/al-sadr-basra-and-ugly-part.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-7113299136855989531Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:50:00 +00002007-12-11T15:53:01.897-08:00Before getting started, I just want to take a moment to say "I told you so" (kinda):"But that critique has gone about as far as it can go. A significant majority of voters today agree with Democrats that the decision to invade Iraq was wrong, and that the conduct of the occupation and attempts to rebuild the country have been failures. A large percentage of Americans believe the Bush http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/anbar-still-awakening.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-5615319068353532136Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:50:00 +00002007-12-10T10:01:54.565-08:00With increases in pressure being placed on the insurgency that's been migrating out of Baghdad, we're going to start seeing a slow migration of ISF out of Baghdad and into northern provinces like Diyala, Salah ad Din, and Nineveh. And while that is planned for the future, US diplomats are engaging Iran in more talks on Iraqi stability and security. While it may be somewhat difficult to see thehttp://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/geography-and-strategy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-7354594603855063181Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:10:00 +00002007-12-06T14:42:54.420-08:00Fighting a counterinsurgency - whether successful or not - appears to be a lot like punching a blob of pudding. Some of it splatters off the map, other pockets pool up in between your knuckles, and still others just ooze off to the side, where you have to chase them around with a napkin.The NYT can probably explain the situation in Mosul more elegantly:"Sunni insurgents pushed out of Baghdad andhttp://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/mosuls-insurgency-in-perspective.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-7565143040911060423Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:14:00 +00002007-12-05T22:14:34.219-08:00This may be somewhat belated, but the Pew Research Center has published a public opinion poll with some interesting numbers for Iraq that can be turned into something useful. The gist of it:"However, a rosier view of the military situation in Iraq has not translated into increased support for maintaining U.S. forces in Iraq, greater optimism that the United States will achieve its goals there, orhttp://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/will-stalemate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-4090286374009450019Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:46:00 +00002007-12-05T07:18:32.389-08:00For the American Left - the side of the debate claiming to be progressive - their points about Iraq are beginning to stagnate pretty severely. But fair enough; for those of us engaged in winning a future for Iraqis, the burden of proof is on us to show that we are, in fact, making a difference and bringing about change. We must be doing a fairly decent job, because at The Nation today, an http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/nations-broken-record.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-217977908474751716Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:01:00 +00002007-12-04T20:00:34.911-08:00With all the talk about the NIE pertaining to Iran yesterday and today, this story from the AP has been short-changed in a big way:"Sunni Arabs ended a yearlong political boycott Tuesday in Kirkuk - the hub of Iraq's northern oil fields - under a cooperation pact that marked a bold attempt at unity before a planned referendum on control of the strategic region."Read the whole story first. As it http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/kirkuk-turns-corner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-7589049458227646994Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:49:00 +00002007-12-03T11:13:30.765-08:00"It is curious to note the old sea-margins of human thought. Each subsiding century reveals some new mystery; we build where monsters used to hide themselves." -- Henry Wadsworth LongfellowFrom the NYT today is a story about the corruption that will be part of the phase we're now entering in the war, as casualties keep falling at a statistically significant level among Iraqi civilians. As http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/gaining-ground.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-2205962803634549727Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:46:00 +00002007-12-03T11:18:44.402-08:00Update: According to FOX News today, al-Dulaimi has been moved to a hotel in the green zone, and the IAF has halted their boycott in parliament as a result. Turns out the whole "house arrest" thing really was a misunderstanding.Under normal circumstances I'd take the weekend off, but according to Al Jazeera, the IAF has walked out of Parliament to protest the detention of it's leader, Adnan http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/12/political-counterinsurgency.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-6303885708174575613Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:03:00 +00002007-11-30T09:37:37.664-08:00News from Iraq on the security front is still looking good, and here's the shift that we were all expecting:"'We're in a definite period of progress,' Brig. Gen. Ed Cardon, deputy commander for support, Multi-National Division-Central, said Monday.""'What makes this so important -- this time so important -- this definite period of progress, is that when the violence is down we can do a lot more http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/11/soldiers-hold-line-diplos-drop-ball.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-8198848678182628902Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:58:00 +00002007-11-28T09:55:43.180-08:00There's been relatively little to talk about any serious news lately, and what seems like news really isn't. But as November draws to a close, we all know exactly what's on our minds and we're waiting for the other shoe to drop.Mainstream sources already have stories written and cued for the end of the month, when news will break that the downward trend in violence has reversed, or it has held.http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/11/stop-holding-your-breath.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835031806075903528.post-1173077040198551095Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:00:00 +00002007-11-26T12:24:45.505-08:00A fairly large portion of the anti-war crowd - HuffPo among it - has latched onto an NYT story about political progress in Iraq, and the Bush administration's stance adjustment - which isn't really an adjustment at all. While domestic politics is a long way from useful, the obfuscation of this story and the degree to which it has spread deserves a response.To be blunt, this is not news. And to http://letsdothis-cavedog.blogspot.com/2007/11/journalists-play-it-straight-or-dont.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cavedog)0