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The 21st century seems likely to be shaped by the collision of two titanic forces: the forces of Fourth Generation war, currently led by Islam, and those of Brave New World, which regrettably are headed by the American Establishment. There are other elements, including one that has my allegiance, namely the remnants (it is not more) of Christian civilization. But Brave New World and the post-state Fourth Generation are so dominant that the rest of us can do little but watch, comment and pray that Christ comes again soon. Brave New World appears to have so many advantages - wealth,...

Having pushed Iraq's Sunnis into waging guerrilla war by effectively disenfranchising them when we outlawed the Baath Party, we now seem intent on picking quarrels with Iraq's two other main groups, the Kurds and the Shi'ites. Desperate for troops, we have bribed the Turks into offering upwards of 10,000 janissaries, to whom the Kurds promise a warm welcome. Using Turks to garrison the Sunni triangle may reduce violence there, because the Turks and the Sunnis are long-time allies. Regrettably, they are allied against the Kurds, who in turn are allied with us. It is as if we had invited the...

In an earlier column, I noted that the current phase of the war in Iraq is driven by three different elements: chaos, a War of National Liberation (which is inflicting most of the casualties) and Fourth Generation war. In time, the Fourth Generation elements will come to predominate, as they fill the vacuum created by the destruction of the Iraqi state. But right now, chaos is again on the front page. Former soldiers of the Iraqi army are rioting for their back pay. The scope of Mr. Bremer's blunder in dismissing the Iraqi army instead of using it to maintain...

According to the September 23 Washington Post, when America's viceroy, L. Paul Bremer, testified to Congress on why he needs more than $20 billion to rebuild Iraq, he said those dollars "bespeak grandeur of vision equal to the one which created the free world." So now we really know why we are in Iraq. It isn't because Saddam had anything to do with 9/11; even George Bush says he didn't. It isn't because Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, because we have found none. It is for "grandeur," that old quest of kings, French kings in particular. Who, I thought,...

William S. Lind: What Is To Be Done? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 25, 2003 A number of readers of this column have said, in effect, "You are critical of our current policies in Iraq. What would you do instead?" I addressed this in an earlier column, but there are a good number of new readers, so it is probably time to revisit what I said then and perhaps add a few points. The most important thing we should do is set a date certain for leaving Iraq and make it soon. Given the time it will take to get all our troops...

ON WAR # 16: Fighting For A Brave New WorldBy William S. Lind May 15, 2003 A recent exchange between an Iraqi demonstrator and an American soldier went something like this: Soldier: Move back!Iraqi: Why?Soldier: Because I have a weapon.Iraqi: Shoot me.Soldier: I don't want to shoot you. I want you to be happy. Welcome to Brave New World. When I was in school, Roehm Junior High School to be precise, everyone had to read two books that described two alternate totalitarian futures. One was George Orwell's 1984 , the other Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. 1984 portrayed the...

In June of 1944, when Field Marshal von Rundstedt, the German commander in France, was told that the Allies were landing in Normandy, he knew exactly what to do. He went out into the garden and pruned his roses. Von Rundstedt knew that in war, early reports, regardless of whether the news is good or bad, are usually misleading. Reacting to them with "instant analysis" merely makes the problem worse. That is as true for the war in Iraq as for any other war. For now, we need to wait. Only time can offer clarity. What we can do now...

Tonight The Shrew will host William S. Lind of the Free Congress Foundation on Radio Free Republic! Tune in to hear one of the foremost military writers discuss the article he has co-written with Paul Weyrich! We will take questions for the author on this thread! Regards, TS