Victor Davis Hanson’s latest cheer for the war in Iraq recalls Generals from the past who turned the tides of defeat into victory, and compares the daunting challenges facing our new commander in Iraq, General Petraeus, to historical Generals like Patton, Bernard Montgomery, Ariel Sharon, and Matthew Ridgeway.

Victor Davis Hanson, one of the neocons most consistent cheerleaders, assures us in his latest article that the verdict of the last four years of fighting in Iraq will be decided over the next few months by the skill and magic of our new general.

What Mr. Hanson willfully overlooks is the fact that the situation in Iraq in no way resembles State versus State warfare. Patton wasn’t fighting an insurgency. Montgomery wasn’t fighting Egyptians in Egypt, but Germans. Ariel Sharon, with superior armaments from the west overcame poorly equipped Arab forces. General Ridgeway pushed a conventional army north of the 38th parallel in Korea.

If Mr. Hanson would like to inject a bit of history into the carnage in Iraq, the more appropriate comparisons would be the US in Vietnam or perhaps the French in Algeria.

Clearly, General Petraeus understands fourth generation warfare and the tactics associated with counterinsurgency. Mr. Hanson might want to yank his head out of the sand long enough to hear our new commander when he states that there is no military solution to the situation in Iraq, only a political one.

© 2007 Timothy O. Villard - 3/20/07

Add Timothy O. Villard as favorite writer

include comments

email a friend