Bush Adopts British (Malayan) Colonial Model For Iraq

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 12-3-2005 | Alec Russell

[bnelson44]

I think the Malay victory is actually the only victory against guerrilla forces in recorded history. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

It took a LONG time by the way.

[Gordongekko909]

Sen John McCain, the maverick pro-war Republican, said last month that the Pentagon badly needed to change its strategy. He cited the oil spot idea as an alternative approach.

You've gotta be kidding me. Even the UK press has picked up that line?

[goldstategop]

The Democrats used to advocate sending more troops. But they've scotched it because a U.S victory in Iraq would not be in their party political interests. We don't have a decade to clean out the terrorists from Iraq because the Left is not interested in winning. They want things to get so hopeless both abroad and at home so people will vote them back into power. Without a united home front, a Malaya strategy has a middling chance of success at best.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[COEXERJ145]

IIRC, one very successful British tactic was to take captured rebel (explosive) weapons, rig them to blow up prematurely, and then the let the weapons fall back into the enemy's hand.

[bnelson44]

We've been using the "oil spot" strategy all year in Western Iraq. McCain simply picked up on it. The Fourth Rail has been reporting on it.

http://billroggio.com/

And now Bill is reporting on it through Threats Watch
http://threatswatch.org/

[Namyak]

There are two options. One option is as they state, which I do agree with, and it will take a long time. The other option is more heavy handed, cracking down hard on the communities that give aid and comfort to the insurgents. I don't want to advocate that option right now, but it may come up again in the near or not so near future...

[fallujah-nuker]

Roman model worked pretty good.

[Gordongekko909]

No no no, by "line" I mean prefacing every reference to McCain with the moniker "maverick."

[Strategerist]

I think the Malay victory is actually the only victory against guerrilla forces in recorded history. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Actually the majority of guerilla movements have failed. You tend to hear about the sucessful ones though.

[armydawg1]

"It is cited approvingly by liberal and conservative newspapers........"

There is more than one conservative newspaper??????

[DJ Taylor]

"I think the Malay victory is actually the only victory against guerrilla forces in recorded history. Someone correct me if I am wrong."

You seem to forget that the communist insurgency in South Vietnam was defeated by U.S. and RVN forces. South Vietnam fell to an invasion of conventional forces no different than the German Blitzkrieg in WWII Europe.

And then there was El Salvador, Guatemala, etc.

[bnelson44]

El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. were not successes.

I don't know if you can call the NVN Army a guerrilla force.

[ClaireSolt]

Actually, pacifying Germany after WWII took years. Ultimately, it worked out, until Gerhard Schroeder, that is.

[CondorFlight]

"I think the Malay victory is actually the only victory against guerrilla forces in recorded history."

The Phillipine Insurrection was countered by the US
Army.

[bnelson44]

Was it a guerrilla war or a civil war with an opposing army? I didn't think they took to the hills and fought small skirmishes to battle down the will of the superior US force. It was more of a war where each army took and held territory. In other words a conventional war.

[bnelson44]

Germany was pretty pacified after WWII... in fact, it was totally decimated. There was no real will to fight left.

[RobinOfKingston]

Sen John McCain, the maverick . . .

At what point does the word "maverick," in reference to McCain, dry up and blow away from overuse?

The man is no "maverick." He is pro-McCain in his every action.

[USF]

I hope they also learn about the differences as well as the ultimate results of the Malay example.

The "emergency" in Malaya ended when the Brits gave Malaysia independence in 1957, taking away one of the communist forces main recruiting tools ("liberation" from "colonialism").

However, once rid of the Brits and the "humiliation" of western occupation (little thanks for the role of allied forces during WW2), the Malaysian pendulum swung the other way and went on to turn its back on the western ideals of equality and soon declared itself an islamic state and institutionalized islamic religious apartheid under its "bumiputra" system.

Mahathir, hating all things western and especially British, went on and employed his "look east policy" sucking up to the Japanese, while taking every opportunity to verbally attack the west (the Brits and the US in particular) and cast "Europeans" and Jews as evil bloodsuckers.