2.16.2007

Yo' Mama Fukuyama

I wasn't really a Fukuyama fan in college (Hegel, shmegel. Tell us something useful and contemporary man!), but I think I agree with him in this article. It's interesting that Fukuyama is taking this position, mainly because he was pushing for a US invasion of Iraq during the Clinton administration. It's also interesting (or wussy) that he chose a UK paper instead of a domestic one to make his point. Not that DoD, the Dept. of State and other former friends would listen to him anyways-- he's been anti-neocon for a while now: he opposed the 2003 Iraq invasion, claims to have voted against Bush in 2004 and called for Rumsfeld's resignation around that same time. I hope we increasingly hear similarly-reformed opinions like these before anything extreme (and impulsive) takes place with Iran. I hold the Dems in my prayers. May they keep our crazy Prez and VP in check. Ahhhmen.
The neocons have learned nothing from five years of catastrophe
Their zealous advocacy of the invasion of Iraq may have been a disaster, but now they want to do it all over again - in Iran
Francis Fukuyama
Wednesday January 31, 2007
The Guardian, UK


American military doctrine has emphasised the use of overwhelming force, applied suddenly and decisively, to defeat the enemy. But in a world where insurgents and militias deploy invisibly among civilian populations, overwhelming force is almost always counterproductive: it alienates precisely those people who have to make a break with the hardcore fighters and deny them the ability to operate freely. The kind of counterinsurgency campaign needed to defeat transnational militias and terrorists puts political goals ahead of military ones, and emphasises hearts and minds over shock and awe...

What I find remarkable about the neoconservative line of argument on Iran, however, is how little changed it is in its basic assumptions and tonalities from that taken on Iraq in 2002, despite the momentous events of the past five years and the manifest failure of policies that neoconservatives themselves advocated. What may change is the American public's willingness to listen to them.

1 Comments:

At February 16, 2007 6:27 PM, Blogger Katgirl said...

Hey Dani..
Long time no talk. Thanks for passing on the link. I've been doing the blogging thing for a couple months now too.
I'll be sure to check out your blog and post lots of comments.
Hope all is good!
Jenny

 

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