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Originally Posted by Archaea
Maybe we should nail this down for any future President who ever desires to fight guerillas. It can't be done, unless you're wiling to annihilate an entire population, or displace and enslave that population.
The US should rarely if ever anticipate becoming an occupying force. Hit and run should be the only policy ever envisaged, given our limited political resolve.
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Bingo. Occupying forces can defeat guerilla insurgencies if they're committed and ruthless enough. The U.S. obviously is not. That's not to say Iraq is a lost cause, but the insurgency will ultimately only be put down by the Iraqis themselves, cause we're just not willing to do what it takes to win (we're concerned with hearts and minds - not necessarily a bad thing).