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 By Jack Lepiarz July 24, 2006 General William Tecumseh Sherman was famous for (among other things) his saying, "War is Hell," and more famously, his application of the saying in his march to the sea in 1864, in which he essentially pillaged the South into submission. Most historians agree that Sherman's indiscriminate destruction of farms, plantations, and other civilian targets was a key factor in bringing the American Civil War to a close. But could that same strategy be used in the Middle East? Could complete and total demoralization of the region's people cause them to lose all desire to fight as it did in the 1860's? The thought is certainly tempting, even if more out of frustration with the insurgents in Iraq, or the seemingly unending war between Israel and its neighbors, than with any particular hatred towards the people of the Middle East. On one hand, we know that total war can bring results--as it did in 1864. Waging an unrelenting conflict against the soldiers' homes rather than the soldiers themselves is oftentimes more effective than defeating the soldiers themselves. But on the other hand, total war is also a cruel, bloody, and inhumane tactic that anyone with any humanity would look upon with disgust. Destruction of civilian property--and civilians themselves in some cases--has been a main point of criticism in recent wars, particularly Vietnam and Iraq. Sun Tzu himself said that preserving the enemy's army and resources was always better than destroying them. "Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting," he said, "is the true pinnacle of excellence." So is total war a viable way to achieve victory in the Middle East? Most indicators point towards a negative answer. One need only look at the destruction in Lebanon to see how little total war has accomplished for the Israeli Army. While it might work in more conventional wars between two distinguished and organized armies, total war is largely ineffective when combating insurgencies because of the difficulty to distinguish between friend and foe. Furthermore, the religious fanaticism of many of the insurgents only continues to exacerbate the problem. When not only one man, but thousands are willing to blow themselves up in the name Allah, then it is unlikely that total war will produce any measurable effect other than a loss of respect from the global community. Unfortunately, the United States is running out of options and time in Iraq, and must make a decision on what course to take in Iraq. Regardless of what it does, it must take some kind of action to make the situation in Iraq better. The course that it is on at the moment will lead nowhere other than civil war in Iraq--if that has not already happened. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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