Posted on 09/25/2014 11:58:06 AM PDT by Kaslin
On his Fox News show Monday night, Bill O'Reilly suggested using mercenaries to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) instead of U.S. ground forces, which President Obama has repeatedly vowed not to deploy.
The use of mercenaries is as old as warfare itself. Alexander the Great used them. King George III hired German mercenaries to fight for the British in the American Revolution. Today mercenaries go by other names, like “contractor."
The president is to be commended for assembling a coalition that includes Arab states, but why are our European allies not part of it? Britain hasn't sent planes, though British citizens have been killed by jihadists. An ISIS splinter group in Algeria claims to be holding a French national hostage and vows to kill him unless France halts its attacks on ISIS positions in Iraq, but France isn't joining the president's coalition to hit ISIS targets in Syria.
Under O'Reilly's scenario, mercenaries would be well paid and live under American rules of war and the Geneva Convention. They would solve a political problem for President Obama and his liberal base that wishes not to be a part of any Mideast conflict and, more importantly, it might be more effective in achieving the president's goal of "degrading and destroying" ISIS far more than airstrikes alone.
Daniel Trombly and Yasir Abbas are analysts with Caerus Associates, a research and strategy firm based in Washington. In an article for The Daily Beast, they get to the heart of what's wrong with a bombing-only strategy:
"The more familiar but difficult medium- to long-term task of degrading ISIS's operational leaders and eventually its high leadership will take well-disciplined, organized ground forces to push out ISIS guerrillas entrenched among population centers where airpower cannot remove them. It also will take major improvements of the quality of intelligence, especially in Syria, where U.S. relationships are least developed and its forces are most unfamiliar with the local environment. Strategically, airpower will play a supporting role to efforts to organize and coordinate ISIS's rivals on the ground to retake territory permanently and contain it as a regional threat. Even as ISIS's rapid offensive gains have proved limited and vulnerable to modern air attack, the group's capabilities as a defensive and clandestine guerrilla force -- and its decentralized military structure -- will deny foreign airpower a rapid or comprehensive victory in the long-term effort for its defeat."
What's needed most is a change in American and Western thinking. This war against a constantly shifting force of what is, despite denials by the president and Secretary of State John Kerry, a religious-political virus, is likely to last years, perhaps decades.
When American leaders stop trying to turn the motivations of fanatics into something other than what they are, only then will we start treating this war for what it is. All of the non sequiturs about Islam being a "peaceful religion" that has been "hijacked" by extremists is meaningless if members of the "peaceful religion" don't rise up and defeat those fanatics they claim have misrepresented their faith.
Though Arab states joining the coalition is a start, the fact that these nations are not yet providing ground forces to defeat these "apostates" and "heretics" tells us something. Are they afraid of ISIS and other Islamist groups? Do they share some of their goals?
Either way, if Western civilization and its values of tolerance, freedom and religious pluralism are to survive, we have to make sure that ISIS does not. There can be no co-existence between good and evil. If good doesn't triumph, evil will.
Mercenaries might be an effective tool in defeating evil.
Machiavelli warned about using mercenaries and the mischief they can cause.
Yep, actually if you think about it, they wouldn’t have to play fair like our idiot Congress seems to think we need to play. The MSM couldn’t blame the Republicans either
Well, yes, yes they do. They will continue to fight among themselves when necessary to firmly establish=h one doctrine. The you will have world peace, which is defined by them as a world Caliphate, under Sharia Law.
Call Erik Prince....Bring Blackwater back...
“mercenaries would be well paid and live under American rules of war “
They wouldn’t go with all the bullshit rules Obama would place on them.
The question is whether it applies against non-governmental groups like Islamic State--but the US is likely to assume that it does, as it did during the Bush era (there's a reason that groups like Blackwater weren't engaged in major offensives).
Would anyone REALLY take an idea from Bill O’Reilly seriously?
NO WE must save the clitorisus!......Hiring it out would be ULTIMATE bad face.....WE must save them......drones are ok....if they are ours...wanna restore faith in U.S. both here and everwhere else?...Then WE must save them.
Serious....this is important....Islam globally is tipping this issue right now.....Its a point of enlightenment.
Besides its our mess.
There would never be peace even if the entire world converted to Islam. Islamic countries and kingdoms would fight each other for control
Prince was interviewed by O’Reilly the other night, and he says this is a feasible plan, albeit not a perfect one as we all know. It would require proper structuring and oversight by professionals, i.e. not the US Congress or Potus who have clearly proven themselves to be idiots.
We cannot afford to ignore ISIS and we cannot afford to be the policeman of the entire world. A mercenary army that is financially supported by many nations is a good solution to a bad problem and is also a free market approach. Let the private sector incentivize, train, pay, and reward them for results. Or would you rather trust the US military leaders who did away with “don’t ask don’t tell” and queerified the greatest fighting force on the planet?
BOOKMARK
“I listened O’Rielly’s POV. Two things (just off the top of my head) that would worry me; (1) who controls the Global Mercenary Military and (2) what happens if this Military is turned against us?”
You’ve nailed it. Command and Control. Americans would eventually hate them. And, these merc’s would eventually dispise Americans. Do a quick read on thr history of the French Foreign Legion. When De Gaulle decided to grant Algeria it’s Independence, Algeria being the Legions historic and emotional home, resisted. Legion units station in France attempted to overthrow the Frence government but were defeated. De Gualle was tempted to completely disband the Legion. And, for all practical purposes did do. But, did retain a couple of battalions and posted them in Paris so to keep them under thumb. But, my main problem with O’Rielly’s proposal is this; if Americans are no longer willing to fight in their own countrie’s behalf, then America is list and deserves to go down the toilet. We will have become Rome.....
Clinton Promises World Without Profits
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3207817/posts
I remember about 6 long-haired,Bowie knife
wearing mercs quieting down a mess hall full
of extremly loud Amish one dinner meal in
Quang Tri.
For which we were are grateful for at least once.
One had a MP44 that looked well used.
Amazingly the military contractors hired to protect State Department officials are currently awaiting verdicts on various charges up to murder for a shooting that took place in Iraq when they were escorting a principle in Baghdad and came under fire.
Apparently US law some how permits this legal atrocity.
where to sign up ?
ISIS was born from our attempt to raise a mercenary army.
Now that they’ve gone Kurtz, we have to raise another mercenary army to go after them. And if they go rogue too? Raise another?
And all of them head-choppers, because thats the raw material we’re recruiting from.
If you want an army that will behave honorably, and represent our national interest, and represent us in the process, then send our military. Stand up in front of the American people, be a man, and make the case. Put your own political hide on the line and make the case before sending some soldier to put his life on the line.
I have no doubt there’s some already there
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