Technology, Liberty, and Terror: the week’s column/Plus–A critique of fatigue
This week’s column is available at StrategyPage. The column expands on a couple of points I made in a recent post about the Iraqi elections, Bush’s “democracy on the offensive” strategy, and “technological compression.” Bill Buckley’s and Peggy Noonan’s tepid responses to Bush’s speech have troubled many readers. Buckley and Noonan have either missed or ignored the political challenges of instant global communications, rapid intercontinental transportation, and weapons of mass destruction. (They aren’t the only ones.) The consequence of transportation and communication: we all live next door to one another. The consequence of advanced mass destruction weaponry: a small group can kill millions of innocents. How do we craft a strategy, an integrative, implementable political vision, that accomodates this technology but protects the freedom of expression, the freedom of movement, all of the freedoms Americans cherish and demand? My column lays out the strategic case.
If any reader knows of a web log discussing or debating the technological dimensions of the Bush democracy-expanding strategy, please send me a link.
CRITIQUE OF FATIGUE–
I was disappointed with Noonan’s assessment of Bush’s speech in The Wall Street Journal. But I was more disappointed with an essay she wrote while I was deployed in Iraq last summer–and her January essay reminds me a bit of her “summer vacation” column.
Let’s return to the moment: A “media meme” flared across oped pages and the Internet, with screed from such notables as Peggy Noonan, Andrew Sullivan, and Mickey Kaus. Suddenly the pens and pundits were suffering from “war fatigue.”
My situation map: I’m west of Baghdad, the afternoon temperatures are punching 125 degree. Every morning I’m seeing 19 and 20 year old soldiers –most of them from either 1st Cavalry Division or Washington State’s 81st Brigade– gearing up for convoy duty or patrols in and around Baghdad. They’re eager, committed, energetic– the new greatest generation doing a tough job that requires steady courage and discipline. Let me repeat that key word: steady. That’s perseverence, what winning a war takes. Then I read a string of “woe is us, we’re tired” commentaries. The lit critic in me couldn’t miss the affected tones, the vague suggestion of Virginia Wolfe. What’s the term? Ah yes– Neurasthenic. Webster: “a type of neurosis, usually the result of emotional conflicts, characterized by a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, depression, worry, and often localized pains without apparent objective causes.” Noonan was on vacation in London and Sullivan’s in a hammock on Cape Cod. Tough duty. In Baghdad we had bombs, but pity these pundits– they’re tired.
I wrote a couple of emails home on this topic, including one to Glenn Reynolds. Wham– he puts it up on Instapundit. Mickey Kaus later sent me a note and told me I’d misread his “timeout” comment. Okay–it’s the danger and delight of Internet emails and blogs –instant intellectual experimentation and emotional openness. At some point this letter should become a column (possibly exploring the summer of 1944/2004 comparison):
“JULY 12, 2004
AUSTIN BAY SENDS THIS EMAIL FROM IRAQ:
I must respond to those who “want a breather” or wish “to take time out” from the war.
There is no time out in war. Occasionally soldiers get R&R, but that means someone else is pulling guard duty or running patrols. I see Mickey Kaus says “we need a break” and Peggy Noonan is worried that the American people want a breather because current history is too “dramatic.” I read Peggy’s essay and I get the distinct impression her brilliantly conceived column springs from her own personal weariness– maybe I’m wrong, but she explicitly tells us she’s on vacation. Over at andrewsullivan.com, Andrew Sullivan wrote (linking to Noonan) that he had expressed similar thoughts (”Americans are drained”). I appreciate their openness and honesty; I hope they’ll appreciate mine. I enjoy thoroughly Sullivan’s commentary, and I’m certain he would be the first to say he can climb in his Cape Cod hammock and blog because soldiers put on their helmets and slog– and don’t quit. Perceptive, honest Americans like Noonan, Sullivan, and Kaus understand that quite well. I make the point as a reminder, a useful reminder. Believe me, the hammock is far preferable to the helmet. I would love to be in my hammock in the Texas Hill Country right now (95 degrees in Austin is far cooler than 119 degrees in Baghdad). But this is helmet time. We –the lot of us, all Americans– are a long haul war, a constant test of will requiring consistent, insistent effort.
I see that effort given every day here in Iraq. Check the photo you ran of those two young soldiers from the 81st Brigade (Washington State National Guard). I snapped it, at sunset, right after they had returned from a patrol. I see the same vignette every morning, every evening. The smiles break out despite the fatigue– and then the troops buckle up and do it again. Blood, sweat, toil and tears: that’s not simply Churchillian poetry, that’s the price of victory, and it’s the product of spine. This peculiar war will take years to win, long, focused years of trial and error, mistake and success, but a breather, a time out?
“Time out” is a mirage of the chattering class. Credit Peggy’s and Andrew’s antennae for culling out the driving emotional angst behind the chatter. Hate to say it, but the call for “time out” Noonan fears may be another case of Baby Boomers who can’t separate Hollywood war from the real thing. Hollywood wars end in a couple of hours. Real earthly hells have no intermission. In current GI lingo, “the enemy has a vote” (the enemy can exercise his will, and act). Take a break and the enemy votes. On 9/11 our enemy went to the polls. We were either going to work, eating breakfast, or lollygagging in bed.
Before I head off to a meeting, let me play history prof for a second. I see several analogs between 1944 and 2004. Fact is, I started a column on that subject before I left for Iraq, but long nights on the ranges at Ft Hood spinning up for deployment left it a sketch. Imagine calling for “Time Out” right after D-Day, which broke Fortress Europe, or during Saipan, which broke the Japanese “inner ring” island defense (many in the Japanese military thought we’d never pay the price to break it). Hey, FDR, we’ve made the deep offensive penetration, can we take a break? The analogy has weaknesses, as do all historical comparisons. That being said, I think we’re in the strategic exploitation phase of this war, a hard, difficult, prolonged exploitation phase, one that requires more hammers and bricks than it does rifles and bombs.
However, we’re winning. We can’t quit.
Indeed.
UPDATE: Reader Rick Richman emails:
Can I add a postscript to Austin Bay’s perceptive email?The rest of the world is in a bit of a “breather” and “time out” as they await the American decision on November 2. It will make a big difference whether George W. Bush is going to be around for four more months or four more years.
If they know that Bush will be there for four more years, with a mandate from the American people (earned after a campaign of unprecedented personal and political vilification by those who opposed the liberation of Iraq), decisions in Syria, Iran, North Korea and other places (including France and Germany) are going to be different.
Conversely, if the American electorate can be convinced to remove the commander-in-chief of the war on terror, to be replaced by the Education President, the Environmental President, etc. and his Two Americas vice-president, all of these other state actors will make decisions in a very different direction. They will perhaps not be able to see the subtety of a “breather” and “time out” and may mistake it for what it may in fact turn out to be: a surrender (except, of course, for the continuation of our 9/10 law enforcement and intelligence activities).
The current breather and time out is excruciating.
Indeed. I’m not sure Mickey meant quite this by his “time out” post, but perhaps he’ll clarify if he didn’t.”
NEW NOTE: I’ll come back to this, possibly in a longer essay.
Let’s return to the moment: A “media meme” flared across oped pages and the Internet, with screed from such notables as Peggy Noonan, Andrew Sullivan, and Mickey Kaus. Suddenly the pens and pundits were suffering from “war fatigue.” That’s the way Americans are, even some of the “good guys.” It was one of those “lessons of Vietnam” that we supposedly learned for all time, but obviously did not.
Comment by George — 1/26/2005 @ 12:28 pm
I’m tired, but I have an excuse. I do suffer from clinical depression. But, I’m not tired of the war, I’m tired of people bitching and complaining about the war. There’s damn all you can do about the war, it’ll end when it ends. If one must complain about it could one try being a tad original about it? :grumph”
Comment by Alan Kellogg — 1/26/2005 @ 2:31 pm
If I may I want to say something to those fighting in Iraq to bring Democracy for the first time in 5,000 years: Thank you. And godspeed.
Comment by James C. Hess — 1/26/2005 @ 6:48 pm
Austin, do you know a way, a fella who is 41, can get into the services. I have tried and been rejected only on account of age. I am fit. Clearly, I am not suffering from fatigue. The only thing that tires me, is that we still have enemies standing, in the field. Since 1979, I’ve wanted my country to pulverize the Iranian Mullahs. And I think this Texan just might mosy on over to Tehran, and when he does, I want to be along for the ride. Austin, email me back, if you know of anything that might help me.
Comment by Dan M — 1/26/2005 @ 8:23 pm
A constant whine from the Left is that the war in Irag is being waged without the Bush administration imposing a “shared sacrifice”. The cure for this is simple. Sit down and write a check to the USO, a big one. Otherwise, zip it.
Comment by William R. White — 1/26/2005 @ 8:25 pm
I too am fatigued. Fatigued by front-page headlines such as the one in the Mpls Star-Tribune today: “Iraqi insurgents vow to turn Sunday’s elections into a bloodbath”. WONDERFUL! Sheer cynicism and defeatism abounds all around us! Polls are showing 75% of Iraqis feel security is good or average, 75% are going to vote on Sunday, democracy gets a shot in the middle east for the first time since forever, OUR nation has been the one fighting to get this country on its feet. Yet, the “news” day after day seems to actively seek to demoralize us into accepting that our hopes are in vain, our cause is lost, our motives are questionable, our trust is naive, our leader is not to be followed. One might be led to believe that al Queda sleeper cells had infiltrated American media outlets years ago in anticipation of these elections.
Comment by ss — 1/26/2005 @ 8:30 pm
True enough, Noonan and Sullivan are not the writers for our age, but things aren’t so bad - Churchill and Kipling, though out of style, are not out of print.
Comment by big dirigible — 1/26/2005 @ 8:41 pm
In your column you wrote critics from the decadent left and paleo-right fear the economic and political challenges implementing a global democracy project entails. You are not being fair, at least to the paleo-right in your criticism. Those who remember Budapest in 1956, the Bay of Pigs in 1961 or Prague in 1968 are correct to question the wisdom of the President making statements like “All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.” To the extent this is interpreted as a commitment and incites people to take actions they would not otherwise take and subsequent tragedy, it is irresponsible, not inpspirational. When people are ready and can be successful, as in Ukraine, there is no greater joy in the world. But when the forces of democracy are snuffed out as at Tienamen Square, there is no greater tragedy. To my mind this comes too close to incitement for my liking. And the entire speech was a bit too much of talking loudly while carrying a small stick. I, and I suspect most paleos too, believe that democracy will eventually triumph throughout the world. The progress that has been made in the last 50 years is actually astounding, when you consider what has happened. We should not hide under a basket but neither should we create unrealistic expectations.
Comment by Richard Heddleson — 1/26/2005 @ 9:01 pm
The Bush honeypot doctrine is working.
Comment by DrMack — 1/26/2005 @ 9:17 pm
Richard, One might add the Marsh Arabs and the Kurds to your list. They, too, listened to promises made but unkept. Some small portion of the current difficulties stem from a justified “I hear what you say, let’s see what you do” attitude among some Iraqis. Perhaps the State of the Union will propose identifiable means of fulfilling such sweeping promises. We shall see.
Comment by Rick Ballard — 1/26/2005 @ 9:23 pm
I’m tired, too - damn tired, sick and tired. Tired of my fellow Americans that want and expect instant gratification. But most of all, I’m tired of the sunshine soldiers and summertime patriots. — A retired Army Master Sergeant who wishes he wasn’t too old to return to active duty…
Comment by Al Superczynski — 1/26/2005 @ 10:08 pm
It’s all to easy to allow yourself this type of mental fatigue when you are looking in from the outside. Pundits of all manner seldom “do” most often they “think” and then manage to write those thoughts in some coherent order (mostly). In our current culture - with any type of visual (be it television or movies) camera shots focused on one thing, rarely last longer than 6 seconds. The entertainment media has also trained most people to think anything can be solved in the space of 2 to 2.5 hours. Is it any wonder these people can’t wrap their brains around a war lasting YEARS! Just look back at columns they’ve written over the years - seldom does any one subject dominate them for a long period of time. Even administrations change frequently enough that they don’t wear out from too much intense repetition - it’s easy - there’s always something new. But with the Iraq war they’ve found themselves stuck in a quagmire. This is a topic that rears its head daily and looks to be around for an undetermined length of time. Since they see no end - they are unable to continue dealing with it. I feel kinda sorry for them - what a shame. Maybe they need new professions - ones with frequent changes that are less demanding on their mental stamina…
Comment by Teresa — 1/26/2005 @ 11:40 pm
I’m glad I found this blog—thanks to Andrea Harris. You get it about WMD & the rest. Neo-isolationist right & post-humanitarian left don’t get it. It’s a little shocking to realize that Buckley & Noonon don’t quite get it either. Now’s the time to be draining the swamp, reducing its variables, its size, complexity, & opacity, because of the gradual but inevitable acceleration in the general development—in power, accessibility, miniaturization, transportability, deadly combinations, etc.—of technologies adaptable for mass destruction, & the evolution of terrorist & destructionist subcultures eager to use such adaptations. And you get it about no time-outs, about not reading one’s OWN fatigue or malaise into what’s happening around. Very glad to have found this blog.
Comment by ForNow — 1/27/2005 @ 1:52 am
Mr. Ballard, the Marsh Arabs are indeed an excellent example. The substantial consequence of our failure to back up fine words with actions was that we had to work doubly hard to establish credibility with the Shia in 2003 after our shameful abandonment of the the Marsh Arabs in 1991. Thank you. Noonan, who wrote “Mr. Gorbachev, Take Down This Wall.” doesn’t get it? I think the loonieness on the left is contagious and some on the right have caught it. Noonan and Buckley are not neo-isloationists, they are people who recognize that words have meanings and consequences. They weigh their use carefully. Noonan’s response is here. I await the real world details of the State of the Union to put the flesh on the skeleton of the inaugural so that we can unite and get past this intramural bickering.
Comment by Richard Heddleson — 1/27/2005 @ 8:49 am
I think you’ve hit on something quite significant linking movies with the current “fatigue” and instant gratification syndrome. I think anyone under 75 today thinks of warfare as what they have seen in too many movies. The Civil WAr, WWII and the aftermaths were not 100 percent “aw shucks” easy and good any more than Iraq is. If people are fainting from horror after 20 months fighting a bunch of inhuman gangsters, how on earth will this nation prevail?
Comment by Patricia — 1/27/2005 @ 10:27 am
Having read Noonan’s response, I see little evidence that Noonan has listened to Bush’s speech more than once or read it at all. She thinks that the speech was too ambitious, & it surely does point (as so many things have already pointed) to big things’ being on the way, yet Bush says that world-wide liberty is the “concentrated task of generations,” that it “is not primarily the task of arms,” that “freedom, by its nature, must be chosen,” that “America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling,” & that “the leaders of countries with long habits of control” should “start” a “journey” to freedom & justice, & that America will “walk” by their side. Now that was just sloppiness on Peggy’s part. If she thought that somehow the speech left another impression despite Bush’s plain qualifications, why didn’t she point to those qualifications to help prevent the speech’s misinterpretation, instead of merely griping about the impression with which the speech left her & contributing to its misinterpretation? That Peggy did not pitch in after the speech & take her opportunity to assure that speech would be rightly interpreted is perhaps a reason why many get the feeling that she is resentful that she didn’t get to write the speech. I don’t mind when she criticizes just this or that speech by Bush, & I don’t think that she’s a neo-isolationist (nor that every conservative critic is a neo-isolationist) but it’s hard not to be annoyed at her for her (1) sloppiness (should have re-read it!) & (2) pettiness when she should have pitched in, regarding such a MAJOR speech, a speech whose consequence, let’s hope, will be that our policy will finally be debated in the RIGHT terms here & even around the world. I think she’s lost her bearings to some extent—including her bearings on just what the war against the terrorists is about.
Comment by ForNow — 1/27/2005 @ 12:29 pm
Noonan suffers from living in Manhattan. No matter how hard she tries, there are a certain number of liberal “facts” which are going to infect her given that she is constantly immersed in that culture. Periodically, she unintentionally writes something that shows she has unthinkingly internalized a liberal assumption when the facts are actually much different. An example — in a piece discussing the paltry few Ivy League grads who join the armed services, she lamented that our nation’s best and brightest have no experience with the military. I’m certain she has absolutely no clue that the three service academies all rank in the top ten most selective universities. Large numbers of the best and brightest HS grads reject the Ivys every year specifically because of the lack of intellectual diversity. Peggy needs to get out in the real world more often.
Comment by stan — 1/27/2005 @ 2:45 pm
I noted that Dan M. says he can’t get into the military to go and fight. There’s a reason, and it really has nothing to do with age. The fact of the matter is that as we age, we all realize how awful war is and that we would do whatever it takes to protect our family and friends and the young ones. Therefore, the governmetn won’t allow us to serve because we would destroy, not just stop, but destroy the enemy with no thought or concer about world opinion. It would just be over and the number of American casualties would be minimal. The Middle East would make Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Dresden pale by comparison.
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