West cannot defeat al-Qaeda, says UK forces chief

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

The West can only contain, not defeat, militant groups such as al-Qaeda, the head of the UK's armed forces has said. General Sir David Richards, a former Nato commander in Afghanistan, said Islamist militancy would pose a threat to the UK for at least 30 years. But he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show a clear-cut victory over militants was not achievable.

=snip=

Before he was due to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph as part of the UK's Remembrance Sunday commemorations, Gen Richards told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show it was important to get the balance of remembrance right. "It's something we've got to be very careful about... there's a lot of dwelling on death as opposed to what those people who have died achieved in their sadly too often too brief lives, but those people have done immense things that are good and I think we need to focus a bit more on that," he said.

=snip=

But Gen Richards told the BBC it was not possible to defeat the Taliban or al-Qaeda militarily.

"You can't. We've all said this. David Petraeus has said it, I've said it. The trick is the balance of things that you're doing and I say that the military are just about, you know, there. The biggest problem's been ensuring that the governance and all the development side can keep up with it within a time frame and these things take generations sometimes within a time frame that is acceptable to domestic, public and political opinion," he said.

=snip=

He said extremist Islamism could not be eradicated as an idea. "I don't think you can probably defeat an idea, it's something we need to battle back against as necessary, but in its milder forms why shouldn't they be allowed to have that sort of philosophy underpinning their lives. It's how it manifests itself that is the key and can we contain that manifestation - and quite clearly al-Qaeda is an unacceptable manifestation of it," he said.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11751888

[doc03]

1. The Russians learned that lesson a long time ago n/t

[qazplm]

4. not really

Chechnya.

[Kolesar]

2. GD thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9555629

[Turborama]

3. Thanks. I wonder why malaise didn't think it was worth posting in LBN

It's a newsworthy story.

[ixion]

5. such is the nature of a guerrilla war, and why it is futile to engage in them.

That is the Art of War 101, but common sense has nothing to do with it.

[daleo]

6. This is excellent for the arms industry

They have a steady market for 30 years. It's too bad that taxpayers pick up the bill of blood and treasure until they are bled white.