How many years now have Serbia and Kosovo been fighting since peace was declared? 16
How many years has NATO aka K-FOR been stuck there as peacemaker? 16
What’s the difference between the pointless civil war in Yugoslavia and the pointless civil wars that are going on and coming in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Uganda, and Afghanistan?
Gorilla answers: “Beats me!”
NATO: a dismal failure, says the Secretary of Defense currently losing 3 wars!!!
And he’s right, the Europeans simply don’t have the military capacity to win in Libya without boots on the ground.
Of course, that’s the conclusion the Administration should have reached before embarking on the stupidest military operation since Iraq.
NATO itself should have been abolished 20 years ago, it has no strategic mission now that the Cold War is over.
But the larger dismal failure is the Pentagon, with a budget greater than the rest of the world’s militaries combined and unable to win against a similar bunch of ragtag tribesman after 10 years in Afghanistan.
Gorilla says: “Time to break the war bonds!”
Yes, it’s NATO in Libya, protecting civilians by bombing them, in what has been without doubt the stupidest decision made by the alliance in its history.
For the third straight time, we see that the Pentagon cannot by military means alone change the facts on the ground. Losing three times isn’t what you’d expect for the $750 billion/year we piss away on our military.
Since it’s clear that Gaddafi won’t back down, and that NATO has neither the resources nor the will to invade, a standoff appears inevitable, until such time as someone in Libya decides to assassinate the Colonel.
Once that’s accomplished, NATO can spend another decade trying to figure out which side to be on in the subsequent civil war.
Gorilla says: “Sarkozy’s the only citroyen being protected by this utter folly!”
Back at NATO’s Pointless War Number 3 (aka Libya), the French have decided to deploy some attack helicopters.
Victory is again promised, just a couple of months after a war that was supposed to be over in a week.
And what happens when one of the choppers is shot down?
Or accidentally kills a few hundred civilians?
Gorilla answers: “Next up: to New York City to kill Strauss-Kahn humanely!”
The ostensible purpose in NATO’s pointless war with Libya is to protect Libyan civilians from Gaddafi’s assaults on them.
Of course, this doesn’t apply when the civilians are fleeing the war zone in boats headed for NATO countries.
When that happens, they’re left to die!
Meanwhile, back at the war, it’s apparent that, short of putting NATO troops on the ground, Gaddafi can stay in power indefinitely.
Gorilla says: “Not A Trustworthy Organization, if you’re the unlucky civilian who thinks the West really cares!”
British Prime Minister David Cameron: “All necessary options is strong language. Of course the EU is not a military alliance and I don’t want it to be a military alliance. Our alliance is Nato.”
Gorilla translates: “Our ally Germany in NATO thinks all options are unnecessary”.
Afghanistan, Pakistan: NATO is losing, no surprise there!
Lots of soldiers killed by roadside bombs, by sneak attacks, and in downed helicopters.
It’s been clear for some time that there is no military solution in Afghanistan. We simply don’t have enough troops to control the country.
There also appears to be no political solution, since the corrupt Afghan government wouldn’t last a week without the presence of the US military.
Gorilla says: “The longest war in American history continues on the road to nowhere!”
NATO?
What’s the point of that been for the last 20 years?
An easy win over the Serbs, a few thousand troops for even more pointless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an ever expanding bureaucracy that enjoys the good life in Brussels.
Apparently, NATO is still vital, but only to the Eastern Europeans, who think we’ll come marching in on their side should the Russians invade.
These would be the same Russians we cut a deal with last week to eliminate a bunch of nuclear weapons.
Missile defense, another colossal waste of money, is the way we keep the Eastern Europeans onside, but the Western Europeans alas aren’t terribly interested in phony security.
Shouldn’t NATO scrap its aging nuclear arsenal?
Not so fast!
Hillary says we shouldn’t move too fast on nuclear arms reduction in Europe, mainly because the East Europeans and Turks don’t want us to move to fast.
Older NATO allies, like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, want to get rid of what are by all accounts useless, nonstrategic weapons.
So, we’re back where we’ve always been, with an alliance whose members outside of the US cannot project anything like military power in the 21st century and many of whose members don’t see much point in having their soldiers die while fighting very marginal terrorists in countries far, far away.
“This alliance is bloated,” the American official said. “It needs to be reorganized for the 21st century.”
Modernization is the key, as it’s always been in Washington’s advanced think tank circles, although that’s currently defined as less bureaucracy in Brussels and more boots on the ground to fight terrorists, who are winning in Afghanistan despite being equipped with very 19th century technology.
And so the circle remains unbroken, and nuclear proliferation spin is now the new deterrence, or something…
Gorilla says: “Time to take the Mannekin Pis out of this alliance!”
A very sensible decision from the Administration to scrap the missile shield in Eastern Europe.
This had to be one of the stupidest ideas in recent foreign policy.
First, there is as yet no evidence that the shield works.
Second, it needlessly antagonized the Russians who saw it, rightly or wrongly, as an attempt by NATO at encirclement.
Third, the announced rationale, namely to protect Europe, but only parts of it, from Iranian or other “rogue nation” missiles was laughable on its face.
Fourth, although they’re unhappy today, the East Europeans originally didn’t want the shield, only a guarantee that we’d defend them if Russia attacks, a highly unlikely proposition either way.
Finally, the costs of the program were enormous at a time when deficits are huge and we still can’t provide health insurance to all Americans (the latest idiot proposal on this from Max Baucus manages not to cover Americans over the next 10 years for little more than 1 year of the Pentagon’s budget).
Gorilla says: “Obama on this one understands that blind loyalty to dubious strategy isn’t always its own reward, his generals as usual haven’t quite figured this out!”
Another NATO airstrike, another 90 dead in Afghanistan.
The scenario works like this:
1) Satellites and other intelligence sources determine there’s an enemy target, in this case a couple of oil trucks that had been stolen by the Taliban.
2) Central Florida is alerted and an airstrike ordered.
3) Surgical precision is difficult to achieve once the targets explode.
4) Many are killed and wounded, but most are Taliban, or so it is claimed, thus the airstrike is unfortunate, necessary and in need of investigation.
5) NATO promises a full accounting, which will arrive several months and several more airstrikes later.
6) The report will be inconclusive, but will contain an expression of regret, this time delivered by a Dane.
Gorilla thinks: “We’re on your side, honest! If you’d just get moving with the training program, you can capture your own hearts and minds!”
