Thoughts?
and an “exit question"
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps used their cigarette boats to give a little tease to US Naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. A flurry of objections, hue & cry, and barrage of accusations ensue from the Iranians. And a US official protest. US forces followed established policy in their response.
Hokay fine. But…
Stuart Koehl: If these provocations continue in the future, the U.S. will have to take some action, simply because treating them as “business as usual” creates an atmosphere of complacency. The first 99 times the Iranians do this, nothing happens--then on the 100th incident, they press the attack. This is a very old ruse of war--set up a routine to lull the enemy into a false sense of security, then strike. Worked for the Israelis in 1967, for the Egyptians in 1973--for that matter, it worked for Joshua more than 3500 years ago. The way to avoid the problem and minimize the danger is to swat the fly away--to show the enemy that you won’t be diddled with impunity. You don’t actually have to shoot at anyone, not when you’re driving a 9100-ton cruiser and they have 30 ton speedboats--all you have to do is pass a little too closely while cranking 30 knots, and let your bow wave and wake do the rest. If you’re feeling charitable, you can lower a boat and pick up survivors.
I think he has a point.
Promised “Exit Question”: Why absolutely no response from any POTUS candidate?
Bonus EQ: Why no mention of Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran—heck, anything outside US boundaries—in any of the debates/speeches/corndog eating contests on the campaign trail?
Posted by Claire on 01/10 at 07:41 PM
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