"Winnie the Pooh and the lost intestinal fortitude"
Posted on 06/20/2008 12:57:11 AM PDT by forkinsocket
Barack Obama's National Security Advisor recently Richard Danzig made a fool of himself by claiming that Winnie the Pooh is "fundamental text on national security." His flippancy only emphasizes the fact is that doctrinal writings influence the conduct of war. To anticipate the enemy's thinking, you have to know the foundational texts in which his mind has been marinated.
Although military studies have traditionally valued and absorbed the texts of classical war doctrine -- Clausewitz's On War, Sun Tsu's The Art of War, even the exploits of Alexander the Great as recorded in Arrian and Plutarch -- Islamic war doctrine is totally ignored, despite as much or more textual gounding.
At the recent inaugural conference for the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA), presenter LTC Joseph Myers made precisely this point.
As recently as 2006, former top Pentagon official William Gawthrop lamented that
"the senior Service colleges of the Department of Defense had not incorporated into their curriculum a systematic study of Muhammad as a military or political leader. As a consequence, we still do not have an in-depth understanding of the war-fighting doctrine laid down by Muhammad, how it might be applied today by an increasing number of Islamic groups, or how it might be countered" [emphasis added].
This is more ironic when one considers that, while classical military theories (Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, et. al.) are still studied, the argument can be made that they have little practical value for today's much changed landscape of warfare and diplomacy. Whatever validity this argument may have, it certainly cannot be applied to Islam's doctrines of war; by having a "theological" quality, that is, by being grounded in a religion whose "divine" precepts transcend time and space, and are thus believed to be immutable, Islam's war doctrines are considered applicable today no less than yesterday.
While one can argue that learning how Alexander maneuvered his cavalry at the Battle of Guagamela in 331 BC is both academic and anachronistic, the same cannot be said of Islam, particularly the exploits and stratagems of its prophet Muhammad -- his "war sunna" -- which still serve as an example to modern day jihadists. For instance, based on the words and deeds of Muhammad, most schools of Islamic jurisprudence agree that the following are all legitimate during war against the infidel:
- the indiscriminate use of missile weaponry, even if women and children are present (catapults in Muhammad's 7th century, hijacked planes or WMD by analogy today);
- the need to always deceive the enemy and even break formal treatises whenever possible [see Sahih Muslim 15: 4057];
- and that the only function of the peace treaty, or "hudna," is to give the Islamic armies time to regroup for a renewed offensive, and should, in theory, last no more than ten years.
Koranic verses 3:28 and 16:106, as well as Muhammad's famous assertion, "War is deceit," have all led to the formulation of a number of doctrines of dissimulation-the most notorious among them being the doctrine of "Taqiyya," which permits Muslims to lie and dissemble whenever they are under the authority of the infidel. Deception has such a prominent role that renowned Muslim scholar Ibn al-Arabi declares: "[I]n the Hadith, practicing deceit in war is well demonstrated. Indeed, its need is more stressed than [the need for] courage" (The Al Qaeda Reader, 142).
Aside from ignoring these well documented Islamist strategies, more troubling is the fact that the Defense Department does not seem to appreciate Islam's more "eternal" doctrines, such as the Abode of War versus the Abode of Islam dichotomy, which in essence maintains that Islam must always be in a state of animosity vis-à-vis the infidel world and, whenever possible, must wage wars until all infidel territory has been brought under Islamic rule. In fact, this dichotomy of hostility is unambiguously codified under Islam's worldview and is deemed a fard kifaya-that is, an obligation on the entire Muslim body that can only be fulfilled as long as some Muslims, say, "jihadists," actively uphold it.
Yet despite all these problematic but revealing doctrines, despite the fact that a quick perusal of Islamist websites and books demonstrate time and time again that current and would-be jihadists constantly quote, and thus take seriously, these doctrinal aspects of war, apparently the senior governmental leaders charged with defending America do not.
Why? Because the "Whisperers" -- Walid Phares' all too apt epithet for many Middle East/Islamic scholars, or, more appropriately, apologists -- have made anathema anyone who dares imply that there may be some sort of connection between Islamic doctrine and modern-day Islamist terrorism, such as in the recent Steven Coughlin debacle. This is a long and all too well known tale for those in the field (see Martin Kramer's Ivory Towers on Sand: the Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America).
But consider for a moment: though there are today many Middle East studies departments, one will be sorely pressed, especially in the more "prestigious" universities, to find any courses dealing with the most pivotal and relevant topics of today, such as Islamic jurisprudence and what it has to say about jihad or the concept of Abode of Islam versus the Abode of War -- no doubt due to the fact that these topics possess troubling international implications and are best buried. Instead, the would-be student will be inundated with courses dealing with the evils of "Orientalism" and colonialism, gender studies, and civil society. The greater irony -- when one talks about Islam and the West, ironies often abound -- is that, on the very same day of the ASMEA conference, which also contained a forthright address by premiere Islamic scholar Bernard Lewis ("It seems to me a dangerous situation in which any kind of scholarly discussion of Islam is, to say the least, dangerous"), the State Department announced that it had adopted the recommendations of a memo stating that the government should not call al-Qaeda type radicals "jihadis," "mujahadin," or to incorporate any other Arabic word of Islamic connotation ("caliphate," "Islamo-fascism," "Salafi," "Wahhabi," and "Ummah" are also out).
Alas, far from taking the most basic and simple advice regarding warfare-Sun Tzu's ancient dictum, "Know thy enemy"-the U.S. government is having difficulties even acknowledging its enemy.
Raymond Ibrahim is the translator and editor of The Al Qaeda Reader.
<”...the Defense Department does not seem to appreciate Islam’s more “eternal” doctrines,...which in essence maintains that Islam must always be in a state of animosity vis-à-vis the infidel world and...must wage wars until all infidel territory has been brought under Islamic rule...”>
The Defense Department’s ppreciation hasn’t a damn thing to do with it. We’re Christian. We always tender contrition and hope. In this case with Islamists I feel a great deal of ambiguity.
My first impulse is to treat them like cockroaches - extermination. But that isn’t Christ’s way. We have to turn them away from the anti-Christ “Mohammed” and set them toward the right way.
As much as I hate to say it, we have to try to turn them into free-will, peace-loving Christians.
My husband, a retired soldier who spent a good deal of time in Muslim countries, has always said our understanding of Islamic tactics is very flawed to nonexistent.
Mohammed was a conquering warlord and certainly AN antichrist figure if not THE antichrist.
He killed and enslaved in the name of “peace” and founded the only major religion to acknowledge the existence of Jesus while denying His divinity, His death by crucifixion, and His resurrection.
Mohammed is a deceiver who enslaves followers into his system of theocratic rule.
And there can be no reformation for Islam. Mohammed was the last prophet. To change his teachings is heresay. Punishable by death. To outlaw radical jihadists is the sign for holy war. Punishable by death. There is no tolerance for persons of other faiths. Kufir who dare enter the forbidden cities of Mecca and Medina face a penalty for their crimes. Punishable by death.
Death to Islam.
Doll, I appreciate your sentiments, and they might work fine in a social setting, but they would be more than difficult to accomplish on the field of battle.
"Winnie the Pooh and the lost intestinal fortitude"
I too am a Christian and of course agree that we should do all we can to bring people to Christ, a mission on which I personally don’t do enough.
That said, we are also supposed to be vigilant and alert to protect ourselves against evil. On a national level, that charge falls to our leaders since, in reality, there’s little you and I can do as civilians to make a real-world difference in national defense, aside from being informed, watchful, and willing to take action when needed. The charge of national defense falls to our government.
This article IMO says what I’ve been saying since late 2001, that we will never ever defeat an enemy that our leaders don’t even have the gumption to identify. Our leaders are so hamstrung by the (Satan-fueled) insanity of political correctness that they are literally more concerned about “offending” someone than protecting the citizenry. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, you may remember that we changed the name of our military operation from “Infinite Justice” to “Enduring Freedom.” Why? Because our enemies were offended and braying about “Infinite Justice” as a name for the campaign.
That may seem unimportant, but in reality it speaks volumes about the staggering absurdity of hand-wringing over “feelings” when our country is under mortal threat.
MM
Uh, too late for this generation.
Time to teach the next generation by horrible example delivered on this generation.
You can find that in the Bible also.
Old Testament or New Testament?
Yep, I agree.
It was hard to write what I put down, because basically I believe in killing them all and letting the good Lord sort them out!
But I suspect this situation is different. And I think I know why, but it is like seeing something amorphous through a fog, and I hesitate to describe what I think.
"Peaceful" muslims were considered "infidel" by Muhammed and his boys, and were treated as such. The West is commiting suicide by not bothering to call a spade a spade, and by ignoring the many facets that Islam uses to wage war, both on the battlefield and in the court of public opinion. They use our own laws and freedoms against us, and political correctness, which they're well aware of (much to their utter amusement, I'm sure) is the ultimate tool they use to prevent us from speaking the truth about their murderous death cult, thanks to idiot liberalism run amok. We won't even call them "jihadists" anymore for fear of "offending" them. This head in the sand attitude about Islam has really been past the point of ridiculousness for a long time now, and it's getting worse each passing day. Meanwhile, the muzzy murderers just laugh at our impotence, and get the UN to agree to not say anything bad about them. What a joke.
Islam is poison. See? That wasn't too hard to say or admit at all! I don't even care who I offended! Islam is crap! Islam is feces! Islam is a religion of flying, bloody, human pieces, but it will NEVER, EVER be "a religion of peace." Idiots in the West need to learn that, and they need to stop believing that Islam can be reasoned with, or trusted. Moronic liberals would be the first people to be axed by Islam. Islam hates everything that the culture of liberalism embraces with open arms, and the very idiots that defend Islam no matter what would be the first with their heads on the chopping block. Liberals are ignorant fools, and their foolishness has spread to all political ideologies that are afraid to call Islam exactly what it is. Hurray for "diversity!"
“This is more ironic when one considers that, while classical military theories (Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, et. al.) are still studied, the argument can be made that they have little practical value for today’s much changed landscape of warfare and diplomacy. Whatever validity this argument may have, it certainly cannot be applied to Islam’s doctrines of war; by having a “theological” quality, that is, by being grounded in a religion whose “divine” precepts transcend time and space, and are thus believed to be immutable, Islam’s war doctrines are considered applicable today no less than yesterday.”
Isn’t it ironic that the Islamic war “Doctrine” has not had any successes recently? Islamic armies have been soundly defeated by Israel and US forces since 1949. I don’t think the war colleges should be the main focus of the teachings about Islamic “Doctrine”. Our war Doctrine seems to be working just fine, thank you very much!
It seems to the that the Politicians and the Media are the ones missing the boat here. If either one understood and believed what is well documented in Islamic writings, then we wouldn’t have the divisions we had today. There wouldn’t be any talk of “ending” the war except by winning. Just think, if the media treated all Islamic pronouncements as probably deceitful to promote their battle chances, then their propaganda campaign would collapse. The gullible and biased media are the only ones offering a “win” to the Islamic forces.
Yup, been there, still doing that!
It's a shame that our military kicks total butt on the battlefield against Islam, yet the politicians and the media completely waste that advantage by allowing Islam to win the propaganda war. They think if we win the war on the battlefield, then the war is won.
What you said about the media supporting them is really the most frustrating thing of all. If the media would stop with their politically correct BS, then you're absolutely right. Islam would lose the propaganda war and muslims would be much less brazen about pushing their cult down everyone's throat, but instead, we get these media/political weenies who think they can make them like them by being nice to them and trying to be "understanding" towards them. It's an absolute crock, and we will never defeat them as long as it continues, regardless of success on the battlefields against them. When I see these morons defending everything Islam, and condemning everything else, I feel like I'm living in a dreamworld where simple sanity has been flushed down the toilet in favor of total stupidity. I tire of our media and politicians playing games with the lives of the citizenry all in the name of some PC utopia fantasy world where we all hold hands and sing songs about how wonderful diversity is, regardless if that diversity includes coddling a religious cult of death. Simply maddening.
And to think the media tilted the world’s axis over a little word like ‘potatoe’.
This insanity has been ignored by the MSM. One wonders if they all have a death wish or perhaps they are assured of a place on Farrakhan’s space ship.
Good Luck.
A lot of turning around will happen when Iraq is free and shows the rest of the Arab nations that freedom does not start with mohammad. As more alquaeda members are done away with and the Iraqi citizebs are more confident of their freedoms, things will begin happening in the other arab countries. Right now, too many arabs are uneducated and cannot even read their quoran. We Americans actually know little to nothing about the inner cities in the Arab lands, except they are kept under the control of monied and strong families who rule them. It’s easy to rule the uneducated and illerate masses, by force and by religon.
When 9/11 happened, I don’t think our President Bush knew the true islomic makeup. Even here, in America, we have their preachers preaching hate for America and Americans of Christian and Jewish faith, all the while the “American” muslims sit MUM, afraid to disagree, IF THEY DO. The muslims have made it a program to be offended to anything that is American or Western. We must cow-tow to their bells and chimes 5 times a day in some cities, and they become offended when a fellow developes a pig stye. In fact, I’ve read, because I know NO muslims, that Muslims have made a Political Pac to become OFFENDED by anything American or Western. I’ve read they even have a Wahabi school in the DC area where their mullahs preach and teach Anti-American values. Are they training these little munchkins how to be vest-wearing destroyers? I want a secret agent in there to see-all and report-all. Do we have the cajones?
I imagine there are already some of those infiltraters doing just that. . or maybe not . . who knows?
Carley, I think you’re right....the presstitutes will be the only Americans to survive Caylipso Louie’s rantings therefore assuring a seat on his space ship and ride on to the next time warp.
Twinkie, I’ve read a few articles telling of the rantings of arab preachers telling their American masses what a bunch of terrible people we are. Now if that doesn’t get our government upset, I don’t know what will. I always thought of the arab lands with their majestic gardens and beautiful temples in a romantic way.
Well, after 9/11 and reading a lot of articles and books, I’ve discovered that arabs really don’t like us and will use our ways to get what they want. In the end they really think they will do away with us and they will live in the land of milk and honey. But, they had everything, ruined it with their strong men and illerate masses. Today they have some of the wirkd;s richest gems in the world, yet fight in flip-flops with a #5,000.00 rifle. Something is wrong here. I say, send them back, just like we’re doing with the illegals.
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