And for every one we get, there are ten replacements.
THAT'S the difference between war and what the police do.
And the answer, you are entirely correct, is to break the enemy. When they are broken, the death rate of their fighters fiinally exceeds the replacement rate, and then (eventually) they give up.
We are faced with legions of stupid young men, for whom the cost of picking up a gun does not now exceed the reward (in self-esteem, local renown, etc).
The job of our soldiers and marines is to make sure the cost-benefit equation favors leaving the gun alone.
The traditional way this is done is to kill everyone who picks up a gun for some time, until societal evolution kicks in.
We are not imposing a high enough price on the wannabes, and as a result we are going to get more of them.
U.S. Marines with the 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment take cover during a gun battle with the Iraqi insurgents outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq (news - web sites), Tuesday, April 6, 2004.
U.S. Marines with the 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment take cover as a TV cameraman films during a gunbattle with Iraqi insurgents on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, Tuesday, April 6, 2004. I bet the Arab press has some updates....the US press doesnt have any b*lls.