Love the Warrior, Hate the War

[unhappycamper]

Love the Warrior, Hate the War
Lorelei Kelly
01.23.2007

Progressives have more in common with the military than they think. I learned this from my friend Col Ike Wilson, who returned home in March 2004 from a 12 month deployment in Iraq. One thought remained with him: "Why such a deliberate plan to fight the war, but none to win the peace to follow?"

Wilson, a West Point professor with years of military planning experience, knew that placing this question at the the center of national security policy discussions was the only way to truly learn from Iraq and Afghanistan. He soon founded the Beyond War Project as a hub to educate both the military and the public about a new vision for war, peace and America's role in the world. Thus far, he's signed up participants ranging from Cornell University's Peace Studies Program to the U.S. Air Force

Wilson's approach typifies today's professional military education, which includes a breadth of topics that might surprise those more familiar with the liberal arts. In contrast to linear Cold War themes like strategic nuclear deterrence, military schools emphasize humanities subjects such as language, international cooperation and world culture. Such lessons arrived in these academic settings in the early part of the decade--though it took the terror attacks of 9/11 and two offensive U.S. military actions before elected leaders really paid attention to the dramatic shift from Cold War thinking.

Today, nearly every general that testifies before Congress claims that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan do not have purely military solutions. This sea change means that many members of the military and progressives are philosophically much closer than either believes and they are both hurt by the lack of meaningful interaction. Understanding and aligning with the military around shared concerns could be a crucial new strategy for the left.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lorelei-kelly/love-the-warrior-hate-th_b_39335.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. Living in a military family/community is as close to socialism as you get in this country.

In the military community there's none of that cult of individual freedom crap that Republicans are so devoted to.