The Frontlines Bulletin: Libya: Our First Cosmopolitan War?

It is arguably the first military conflict—certainly the first fought by the leading participants from the West—fought under the legal supervision of the International Criminal Court. American authorities may think they are holding to special constraints here, because it is “only” a humanitarian mission. The distinction may not seem at all so clear to others—even in NATO countries. The Statute of the International Criminal Court, for example, makes no distinction between rules that apply in well-meaning interventions as compared with other conflicts. What we have embraced in Libya is a set of rules that make effective war-making very difficult. What all of this means is that commanders must focus on limiting the enemy’s immediate military capacities, but not seek to impose larger costs on the opposing country or government in the conflict. Does NATO take this seriously? It seems to take these rules very seriously indeed. In most wars, continuation of fighting risks escalation of war aims and war methods. That provides an incentive for the weaker side to stand down earlier. Here, NATO seems to have tied its hands from the outset.

Source: http://www.fpri.org/enotes/201105.rabkin.libya.html

To read the full bulletin please visit THE FRONTLINES BULLETIN (040900(S)JUN2011), or to learn more about The Frontlines please check outwww.thefrontlines.com. Thank you.

Very respectfully,

The Warrant

Posted on June 7th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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It seems that all those things that President Bush did may not have been so bad. I wonder where Code Pink, Huffington Post and Daily Kos are now?

(Emphasis below is mine)

Congress on Thursday passed a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. Votes taken in rapid succession in the Senate and House came after lawmakers rejected attempts to temper the law enforcement powers to ensure that individual liberties are not abused.

Following the 250-153 evening vote in the House, the legislation to renew three terrorism-fighting authorities headed for the president’s signature with only hours to go before the provisions expired at midnight.

With Obama currently in France, the White House said the president would use an autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president. Minutes before the midnight deadline, the White House said Obama had signed the bill.
Obama said he was pleased the act had been extended.

Not only did he extend it, he did it remotely with a high speed autopen machine that can sign his signature. So while he is in France he is telling his Michael Moore and America hating supporters that he doesn’t care why they put him in office, he is going to do what is neccesary to secure this country.

I applaud him for being a wise man and leading with what he knows is right and not with his pride. This is not the first time he has extended it, this is the second time.

I also think this is a great example that it is easy to throw darts from the sidelines at the man in the chair, but why one shouldn’t. President Obama had not been enlightened to all the intelligence and security details prior to being sworn in, but now that he has been in the office and gets those daily intelligence updates he knows why President Bush did so many of the things he did after 9/11/01.

Now Obama would really impress me if he got in front of the podium just one time and rather than blaming Bush, gave him credit and applauded all that he had done.

Posted on May 27th, 2011 by Bouhammer
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Posted on May 25th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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THE FRONTLINES OF AFGHANISTAN

Tuesday Morning a NATO helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, destroying the aircraft but fortunately no casualties to crew members on board. Several NATO convoys were attacked by roadside bombs and IEDs. One attack resulted in 12 killed and 28 wounded in a southern Kandahar province. IEDs were also used to killed several NATOP members in Eastern Afghanistan. In May 2011 there have been 29 coalition forces members killed. Since our last report 9 American soldiers have been killed. In 2011 there have been 1582 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan.

THE FRONTLINES OF IRAQ

Roadside bombs wounded six in a western district of Khadra and several other bombings took place throughout Iraq. In Kirkuk, several attacks were carried out which killed several civilians. A parked car bomb was used to target police and its blast killed two civilians and wounded 14 others in Kirkuk. Two Americans were also killed in operations in Baghdad. There were several outbreaks of violence in the capital city which resulted in several Iraqi civilians wounded or killed in clashes. Since our last report 2 more Americans were killed, bringing the total American death toll in Iraq to 4,454.

To read the full update please visit The Frontlines Weekly Update Brief (May 16-22, 2011). If you have a different opinion or comment please post it here, or email me at [email protected]. Thank you.

very respectfully,

The “Warrant”

References

The Economist. (2011). May 21-27th Issue.

iCasualties. (2011). Coalition Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Retrieved from www.icasualties.org.

Posted on May 25th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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Posted on May 19th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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Recently, I was contacted by the History Channel regarding a new Civil War film, Gettysburg, produced by Ridley and Tony Scott.  It airs on History Monday, May 30th, at 9pm (EST), and you can watch the trailer and read a brief summary of the program. As an avid fan of history the previews for this film look amazing and well worth watching. What do you think? To learn more about the Civil War also check out Americans Wage War On Other Americans.

Very respectfully,

The Warrant

Gettysburg is a 2-hour HISTORY special that kicks off a week of History programming commemorating the 150’th anniversary of the Civil War. Executive produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, this special strips away the romanticized veneer of the Civil War. It presents the pivotal battle of Gettysburg in a new light: as a visceral, terrifying and deeply personal experience, fought by men with everything on the line. Compelling CGI  and powerful action footage place viewers in the midst of the fighting, delivering both an emotional cinematic experience and an information packed look at the turning points, strategic decisions, technology and little known facts surrounding the greatest engagement ever fought on American soil. The special begins in the high stakes summer of 1863, as the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia crosses into Pennsylvania.   Trailed by the Union’s Army of the Potomac, Lee’s 75,000 strong army heads towards Harrisburg, converging instead near a quiet farm town, Gettysburg.  Known then only as a crossroads where ten roads running in all directions converge like a wagon wheel, this small town would become site of an epic battle between North and South.  For three days, each side fought there for their vision of what America should be. In collaboration with highly esteemed Civil War historians, HISTORY combed through hundreds of individual accounts of the battle to find the unique voices of struggle, defeat and triumph that tell the larger story of a bitterly conflicted nation.

To watch the trailer check out Civil War film, Gettysburg

Posted on May 18th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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With the demise of Public Enemy #1, and talk of what this means for the ‘war’ on terror…..it’s actually a good time to think outside the conventional paradigm about what components encompass national security. Two eminent military strategists do exactly that in a recently released paper, that’s well worth a read.

Some traditional advocates of stout military deterrence will likely deride it as a wasteful expenditure of time, money and effort. But the bottom line is that we can continue the current policies [which I find misguided] and embark on a new path. They are not mutually exclusive, and the points Mykleby and Porter lay out don’t seem to have a down side where it concerns resource management and homeland security.

This Strategic Narrative is intended to frame our National policy decisions regarding investment, security, economic development, the environment, and engagement well into this century. It is built upon the premise that we must sustain our enduring national interests – prosperity and security – within a “strategic ecosystem,” at home and abroad; that in complexity and uncertainty, there are opportunities and hope, as well as challenges, risk, and threat. The primary approach this Strategic Narrative advocates to achieve sustainable prosperity and security, is through the application of credible influence and strength, the pursuit of fair competition, acknowledgement of interdependencies and converging interests, and adaptation to complex, dynamic systems – all bounded by our national values.

It is time for America to re-focus our national interests and principles through a long lens on the global environment of tomorrow. It is time to move beyond a strategy of containment to a strategy of sustainment (sustainability); from an emphasis on power and control to an emphasis on strength and influence; from a defensive posture of exclusion, to a proactive posture of engagement. We must recognize that security means more than defense, and sustaining security requires adaptation and evolution, the leverage of converging interests and interdependencies. To grow we must accept that competitors are not necessarily adversaries, and that a winner does not demand a loser. We must regain our credibility as a leader among peers, a beacon of hope, rather than an island fortress. It is only by balancing our interests with our principles that we can truly hope to sustain our growth as a nation and to restore our credibility as a world leader.

A National Strategic Narrative

Posted on May 12th, 2011 by Constitutional Insurgent
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DEATH OF A TERRORIST, NOW WHAT?

The decade long manhunt for the world’s worst terrorist finally came to a close, thanks to the combined efforts of U.S. agencies and military. With the death of Usama bin Laden at the hands of a Navy Seal team last Saturday, questions about his impact on global politics and implications for the future of terrorism remain. Eliminating the leader of al-Qaeda was a serious blow, but not a death blow to the organization. The U.S. will undoubtedly continue to pursue terrorists worldwide, but will the foreign policy of stabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq continue? Or will a more expedient drawdown from the region occur? The death of the man responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001 has left many questions unanswered, most importantly how was he able to evade capture for so long? bin Laden was killed in a comfrtable urban area near Pakistan’s equivalent of West Point.  How the most wanted terrorist lived there for nearly six years under the nose of Pakistan security and military forces remains unknown, and has further strained relations between the U.S. and Pakistan. U.S. officials pledged a full investigation into how bin Laden lived unscathed and comfortable for so many years.

THE FRONTLINES OF AFGHANISTAN

Approximately 100 insurgents on motorcycles attacked a northern Afghani village that was working with a government sponsored police program. IEDs were used throughout the country against ISAF forces, and Afghan police were charged by Oxfam with committing child sex abuse, torture and killings. Al Qaeda confirmed the death of their leader Usama bin Laden, bringing a close to the life of the terrorist, at the hands of U.S. forces last week.

Since our last report 5 more American have died in Operation Enduring Freedom. The war in Afghanistan has claimed 125 American lives thus far in 2011, and the total for the war is now 1,571 (www.icasualties.org).

THE FRONTLINES OF IRAQ

The trial of 3 American hikers charged with spying in Iran was postponed again. The hikers were arrested along the Iran-Iraq border over a year ago. Iraq’s prime minister said he may ask for thousands of American soldiers to remain in the country in order to provide security in the country, as roadside bombs and attacks continued throughout the country.

Since our last report NO more American soldiers were killed in Iraq. The death toll for service members killed in 2011 is 22 and an overall death total of 4,452 (www.icasualties.org).

If you have a different opinion or would like to read the full update please visit The Frontlines Weekly Update Brief (May 2-8, 2011) or The Frontlines. Thank you.

very respectfully,

The Warrant

References

The Economist. (2011). May 7-13th Issue.

iCasualties. (2011). Coalition Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Retrieved from www.icasualties.org.

Posted on May 11th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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Selfless service can come in many ways, at it’s heart the real value of selfless service is in the effect service has on those who provide it. When one selflessly serves another, he or she literally sees the words “self” and “less”, as the nonexistent of pursuit of one’s own interests as they provide “service” for the betterment of others. There are many organizations within the United States that selfless serve their local communities, and fellow Americans. Selfless service is shown in many ways, from a soldier risking his or her life to save a fallen comrade, a teacher tutoring a struggling student after class, or a volunteer working at a  homeless shelter, there are countless ways in which each of us can serve others. And regardless of sensational media stories, or partisan politics, all forms of selfless service are equal and needed. By virtue of wearing the uniform whether in the public sector or military, by choosing to serve you are also embarking on a lifestyle of selfless service. Whether you serve for 4 years or 20, you are first and foremost a selfless servant to our nation as its sworn protector of our founding ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Like those before you, without your service, the United States of America would cease to exist.

To learn more please check out and listen to: Selfless Service in America or visit The Frontlines. Thank you.

very respectfully,

The Warrant

Posted on May 11th, 2011 by The Frontlines
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BZ to all the SOF personnel…that is all…

Posted on May 2nd, 2011 by Country Singer
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