AMERICA...THE RELUCTANT WARRIOR

Here is a terrific piece by Gerard Baker in the Times of London about American attitudes about war and the military. I am in complete agreement with him.

History suggests that for the American public to continue its support for a protracted struggle, three conditions must be met. They must be convinced that their cause is a noble one. No country in the world is as animated by ideals as Americans. But idealism alone will not suffice. Even Americans won’t in the end fight for abstract principles, or for somebody else’s freedom.

The second condition is that a war must be seen as being conducted against a threat, immediate or emergent, against Americans. Thirdly, Americans will back a lengthy war only if they believe their leaders have a clear strategy for winning. In the end it was not lack of faith in the cause in Vietnam that undermined support for the war among a majority of the US population. It was a steadily strengthening conviction that their leaders had given up believing the war could be won.

Iraq today still meets criteria one and two. It remains a noble cause, in keeping with the highest American ideals — liberation of a people from a hideous tyranny. And it is a fight in defence of America’s interests. Establishing a democratic base in the Middle East remains the key to overturning the ideologies of fundamentalist hate that are the root causes of terrorism.
It is fulfilling the third condition that may be hardest now. Americans wonder increasingly whether their political leadership has a clear idea of where the struggle in Iraq is headed. At times they wonder whether their leadership actually knows or understands what is going on. No one can set out a detailed path to victory against an insurgent enemy. But the Bush Administration needs to demonstrate a commitment to getting the job done. That means not only protestations of resolve, but actions to back it up; specifically more troops if needed. Otherwise the steady attrition of support will gather ominous momentum.

He is absolutely correct. Americans will continue to back this war as long as they believe we are fighting to win. Douglas MacArthur said "there is no substitute for victory". The sense that victory was not possible or that our leaders weren't going to do what was necessary to make it possible was the thing that soured Americans on the wars in Korea and Vietnam. (Only the proximity to the intense patriotism of WWII, and the paranoia about communism, prevented Korea from igniting the protests that later plagued the country during Vietnam). Even as poll numbers show a majority of Americans believe invading Iraq was a mistake, a majority still does not advocate withdrawal, despite opinion in elite circles. The question remains the same. Is the President willing to do whatever is necessary to win? Only time will tell.