...sometimes that's the image that flashes through my mind when I see photographs like the ones later in this post.
They came from the CJTF101 PAO this morning, about a suicide bomber attack today in Mandozayi, Khowst Province, Afghanistan.
The message from CJTF101 is simple - it was the closer to the notice. These photos and videos provide further proof the Afghan militants are not interested in the welfare or benefit of the Afghan people.
And one can hope that the Afghan people see it that way, though we're swimming against an millenniums-long experience that tells these people to submit to he who has the stronger tribe. And that ruthlessness is a component of strength. They know they can get upset with us about civilian casualties, and we will abase ourselves, express heartfelt remorse, and, perhaps most importantly, pay. Unfortunately, for many Afghans, that's a sign of weakness, not strength, whereas we see it as a component of strength, strength tempered with compassion.
They know the Taliban will remain, they aren't sure about us.
We have to show we're not only the strongest tribe, but that we'll hang around long enough to make sure that the Afghan government becomes the strongest tribe, too. Else, when the Taliban return, there will be a price to pay. With us, not so much. They're used to strong tribes showing up, but not having the stomach to stay. As the Raisuli says in his letter to Teddy Roosevelt, in the movie The Wind and The Lion; "You are the wind and I am the lion... but like the lion I know my place, and like the wind, you will never know yours."
Part of the cultural gulf we're going to have to overcome, if we're to be successful. We're going to have to convince the Afghans we know our place, and that their place need not include the Taliban. Or we, too, will leave there as did the Russians and Brits, leaving behind bones bleaching in the sun.
Back to the picture - taken just as the bomb exploded, the people in it are frozen in that last millisecond before their lives changed forever, even if they weren't casualties themselves. Sort of like flies in amber. Like those flies, these people were just out doing what you do to survive, day to day, and got caught.
They came from the CJTF101 PAO this morning, about a suicide bomber attack today in Mandozayi, Khowst Province, Afghanistan.
Attached is a video and stills of an insurgent suicide bomber attack on the Mandozayi district center earlier today (Sunday, 28 December) in Khowst province of Eastern Afghanistan, which killed sixteen Afghans (14 of them children); and wounded another fifty-eight (including at least 40 civilians). There were no ISAF casualties. Coalition and Afghan security forces worked together to evacuate wounded to both ISAF and local civilian hospitals.
The message from CJTF101 is simple - it was the closer to the notice. These photos and videos provide further proof the Afghan militants are not interested in the welfare or benefit of the Afghan people.
And one can hope that the Afghan people see it that way, though we're swimming against an millenniums-long experience that tells these people to submit to he who has the stronger tribe. And that ruthlessness is a component of strength. They know they can get upset with us about civilian casualties, and we will abase ourselves, express heartfelt remorse, and, perhaps most importantly, pay. Unfortunately, for many Afghans, that's a sign of weakness, not strength, whereas we see it as a component of strength, strength tempered with compassion.
They know the Taliban will remain, they aren't sure about us.
We have to show we're not only the strongest tribe, but that we'll hang around long enough to make sure that the Afghan government becomes the strongest tribe, too. Else, when the Taliban return, there will be a price to pay. With us, not so much. They're used to strong tribes showing up, but not having the stomach to stay. As the Raisuli says in his letter to Teddy Roosevelt, in the movie The Wind and The Lion; "You are the wind and I am the lion... but like the lion I know my place, and like the wind, you will never know yours."
Part of the cultural gulf we're going to have to overcome, if we're to be successful. We're going to have to convince the Afghans we know our place, and that their place need not include the Taliban. Or we, too, will leave there as did the Russians and Brits, leaving behind bones bleaching in the sun.
Back to the picture - taken just as the bomb exploded, the people in it are frozen in that last millisecond before their lives changed forever, even if they weren't casualties themselves. Sort of like flies in amber. Like those flies, these people were just out doing what you do to survive, day to day, and got caught.
Just a thought: The worst thing you can do in the Eastern mindset is to embarrass, because it is an assault on family or tribe. The revenge for such an embarrassment is upon the whole family. You really begin to understand some of the insanity going on in the ME. The Western peoples and their media need to have a long debate with consequences on coverage of warfare. We need to discuss status of peoples and structures. The primary determinate factor should be usage. If it is being used in combat, it is "fair game". This would include hospitals with patients, schools with students, all sacred places and even whole regions.
Do I expect this to ever be applied? No, but if stirs up some discussion. I've met my goal.
Grumpy
The US and the West controls itself. All the wild accusations of holocausts, mass murders could become reality without such control. It would have great impact in the ME if it were done but though it might simpistically seem a sign of strength, it would be a sign of weakness. Instead we show much strength. We have both the incredible power and the self control. One problem of course is the will..
Because we excercise self control in the wrong situations as well. When we should fight or should not wring our hands we do so, like in places Grumpy mentions. I see this from the UK a great deal. This *is* a sign of weakness. Compassion does not mean stupidity.
One thing that I learnt before this war from an Iranian was that the country and city is as different as chalk and cheese. The country is tribal and under nominal national control at best. The cities, on the other hand, are far more like the West. In Afghanistan that probably only means Kabul.
I had to look up aorist and it has taken me a while to understand the meaning. I found this site the most useful if anyone else is in the dark too;
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Aorist-tense
Yes 'discipline' is an excellent word for what I mean. It has unfortunately been ground in too much as a word of action upon others which has distorted it's meaning to many people. But it's also self applied. 'Self discipline' some say to emphasize that point. It's important I think to practice it before we show it and help others with it. I think you've got a good point about what leadership is.
I walked a path of very high self discipline. I learnt the hard way that this isn't always wise. It's very important to know some flexibility and even more so to know what to be disciplined about. That last part is very difficult. Discipline separates thought and action. Controlling our thoughts is difficult, perhaps impossible but contolling our actions is not. Discipline is where we control our actions by deciding which thoughts to act on. Therefore (from this rather simian point of view) the core challenge of discipline is in determining worthy actions from unworthy actions. The rest is merely luck and opportunity.
Discipline is unpopular these days. We have the past of discipline misused such as with the Nazis and so many others. It's interesting how many men who beat their kids and wives to 'discipline' them lack that very quality which is part of why they are beating them in the first place. We have a time of plenty where we our incentive to be disciplined is weaker fueled by self indulgence humans were probably incapable of until now.
Do young men learn real discipline? In the past they learnt to be submissive from beatings and in the present they learn self indulgence and apathy. Perhaps it time they learn discipline as self control, instead of these.
Loosing face is important in the West too I think. Especially at social and political levels. Many of us also have post death reward attitudes. Chrisitians think of heaven. But they don't try to bring it about early in the name of God and murdering other people. I think that's a critical difference.
@Argent - 29 Dec 2008 2:05AM You write, "I guess this is a complex matter...", If you are talking about the language or the overall battlefield situation, that, Sir, is called an "understatement". You would be surprised by the list of names that feel the same way.
It's a 2-way street ...... and too often, it seems that WE're bending over backward to keep from offending THEM. How about some reciprocation?
Grumpy, you are condemning many people! Wait a minute, the purpose of a test is to reveal the truth. The truth will condemn some actions and vindicate other actions. Note, that I am talking about condemning actions and not people. This is a major difference.
I was referring to those periods ante-bellum, when diplomacy is still being played out.