The Fog of War

The U.S. has been in Iraq for about five years. The security situation has improved, but much of that is based on a tenuous ceasefire on behalf of the militia forces that could end at any time. No matter how you feel about the decision to invade, from a spiritual perspective it's worth taking a moment to note the costs of this war:

U.S. Military Deaths:
3,987

"Contractors" Killed
(as of June '07 and believed to be under-reported)
1,001

U.S. Military Wounded in Action:
29,395

Iraqi Civilian Deaths:
81,964 - 89,448

Cost of the War:
$406.2 Billion
($9.2 Billion a month)

It's hard not to find that disturbing, especially when it's juxtaposed with Rumsfeld's smug predictions before the war began (which he mostly maintained throughout). It was only when his doctrine of fewer-faster-better was replaced with the whole "surge" notion (cf. The Powell Doctrine) that things improved. I read a lot about the history of the first Gulf War, and it was hard not to keep thinking that Rumsfeld and G.W. Bush were ignoring all the lessons learned from the earlier conflict. And thousands of people have died as a result of their failures. That's a terrible, terrible thing to contemplate.

If this kind of thing interests you (politics, history, etc.), I highly recommend the movie "The Fog of War." It's a documentary about the life lessons learned by Robert S. McNamara (the principal architect of the Vietnam war). The film explores not only what he did and what he learned, it also goes into how he was formed in such a way as to come to those ways of thinking. Here are his 11 Rules...

1. We misjudged then — and we have since — the geopolitical intentions of our adversaries … and we exaggerated the dangers to the United States of their actions.
2. We viewed the people and leaders of South Vietnam in terms of our own experience … We totally misjudged the political forces within the country.
3. We underestimated the power of nationalism to motivate a people to fight and die for their beliefs and values.
4. Our judgments of friend and foe alike reflected our profound ignorance of the history, culture, and politics of the people in the area, and the personalities and habits of their leaders.
5. We failed then — and have since — to recognize the limitations of modern, high-technology military equipment, forces and doctrine.
6. We failed as well to adapt our military tactics to the task of winning the hearts and minds of people from a totally different culture.
7. We failed to draw Congress and the American people into a full and frank discussion and debate of the pros and cons of a large-scale military involvement … before we initiated the action.
8. After the action got under way and unanticipated events forced us off our planned course … we did not fully explain what was happening and why we were doing what we did.
9. We did not recognize that neither our people nor our leaders are omniscient. Our judgment of what is in another people's or country's best interest should be put to the test of open discussion in international forums. We do not have the God-given right to shape every nation in our image or as we choose.
10. We did not hold to the principle that U.S. military action … should be carried out only in conjunction with multinational forces supported fully (and not merely cosmetically) by the international community.
11. We failed to recognize that in international affairs, as in other aspects of life, there may be problems for which there are no immediate solutions … At times, we may have to live with an imperfect, untidy world.

He published this list in his 1996 book In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam--well before 9/11 and the decision to invade Iraq. He also generally refused to comment on the implications of this "lessons learned" for the current conflict (not that it takes much imagination to do so).

I remember the lead up to this war and the "Just War" debates that were going on in some Christian circles. I even heard that there was a public debate-by-letter between George Bush, Sr., (defending his son) and the then Primate of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Frank Griswold over the ethical justification for the war. (If any of you have a URL for this, I'd love to know it.) It's interesting to look back on those discussions and how each of us felt at the time. History is an excellent teacher.

-t