[Skybird]

No.

Defining the objectives that are to be reached - is part of doctrine! The failure there is double-layered. First, one defined objectives on basis of a misled doctrine (Rumsfield), second one designed the doctrine in worrying ignorrance of realities, cultural realities in this case.

Objectives havew been there for the desirable endstate in Iraq and Afghanistan. Westwern-friendly regimes. American oil companies in highly influential psoition that allow them to control the flow of oil and have a word din all Iraqui oil trades. Both countries turning into "beacons of democracy", populations turning Wetsern in living style and values, apllauding the invaders.

Designing such objectives reveal a worryin g lack of education, underdtanding for cultural differences, and the nature of the people and the enemy whose places one was about to embark on.

Later came Patreus, who had developed counter-insurgency strategies at Leven worth for years. While it seemed as if he was successful (the Surge, and such), he also mfailied on realsing the longterm implications and the basic nature of the enemy he was up against and the nature of the battlefield (cultural environment) he was to fight in. I have quite some respect for POatreus, but I must say: he also failed in forming a realistic assessment of the environment.

The only way to turn both wars into successes would have been to totally destroy both countries and annihilate evertyhing moving inside of it. Total war against an enemy that lacks the weaponry and capacity to strike back with total war - he can only deliver terrorist pinholes, although these can unfold a delayed economic impact: the cost for increased security measures after 9/11, for example: these costs are extremely high. But attacks likje 9/11 cannot destroy a society. Instead, society more or less adapts to such attacks. See Israel.

Total war. Well, I think that never was part of the doctrine.

I see the problem on the political level: too many lobbyists and infantile idiots who have plenty of illusions about what war is and what it means, adn thus easymindedly order for wars since hallucinations is all they have about what their orders mean.

What did Bruce Willis said in this movie about a military coup in the US, in New York after an Islamic terror strike (the title just doe snot come to my mind)? In the German dub he says something like this: "War is no clean and tidy operation with a scalpel, but a full-powered blow with the two-handed broadsword. "

Too many infantile and naive poltical idiots who think they know this better. Esoecially frteinds of the concept of "humane warfare" are vulernable to this. I say diffeently. Once watr got started, term like "overkill capacity" and "excessive use of force" have lost any meaning.

The tolerance of the public for such terms is limited. Home support for a war wanes once the bodybags start to arrive at home. Military doctrine must take this into account, too. A warplan that stretches over years and decades, is a very stupid warplan. Wars of exhaustion may be in line with Asian concepts of war, but Western societies tick differently.