Joint Chiefs: America Arrogant, Uncaring, Insulting To Muslims

I especially love the last bit from a Holbrooke trip to Pakistan during which he was told that America is despised as we appear to be obsessed with capturing and killing Osama bin Laden. Yeah, why in the world should Americans care about that when what we really need to do is work harder to understand the Muslim world.

As for Joint Chief's Chair Mullen, there was a time when our military was more concerned about fighting and winning hot wars than national politics. I'm not sure I appreciate the shift as much as some others might.

All in all, not a very comforting read considering the source. I'm not impressed with some of the Navy's top leadership these days. Maybe the lack of as critical a role in current combat ops they've often enjoyed in past wars has left them with too much time on their hands. I wasn't big on Mullens when he was appointed,I'm even less impressed, now.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting.

“To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate,” Admiral Mullen wrote in the critique, an essay to be published Friday by Joint Force Quarterly, an official military journal.

 “I would argue that most strategic communication problems are not communication problems at all,” he wrote. “They are policy and execution problems. Each time we fail to live up to our values or don’t follow up on a promise, we look more and more like the arrogant Americans the enemy claims we are.”

Last week, during a visit to Pakistan by Richard C. Holbrooke, Mr. Obama’s special envoy, Pakistanis told his entourage that America was widely despised in their country because, they said, it was obsessed with finding and killing Osama bin Laden to avenge the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Comments

[Ran]

I don't give a damn whether the world likes us, hates us, respects us or despises us. All that matters is that the world fears us enough to just leave us, and our friends, in peace.

"I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all." - Marine General James Mattis, to Iraqi tribal leaders.

[drjohn]

This sounds like an easy fix.

Obama can have Holder announce that the US is dropping the investigation.

And that the CIA interrogators will be hung.

[tim maguire]

we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate,”

Does that make any sense? What does it mean? Is this the guy we want anywhere near our propaganda apparatus?

[David R. Graham]

Perhaps a rush to judgment on this is of uncertain benefit .... Checking now to find his full text ....

There are themes here I have heard from highly-experienced ground combat commanders, and, against the background of what was REALLY being said in that "address to the Muslim World" in Cairo, I would urge a leisurely pace in assessing fully what is going on here -- where C-JCS makes a move such as this .... I am making no conclusions here, nor suggesting any, only urging careful, thorough, multi-dimensional examination ....

I suspect the matter is of the utmost importance, not only in Admiral Mullen's mind but also in objective reality. In other words, I suspect he is raising a vital national concern.

This is different from the 60s and 70s, when the JCS remained old-school reticent and was then-privately and later-publicly condemned for that by their then-subordinates and later-successors.

This may have something to do with the pretense that the White House's current occupant "has a gift" of talking people into following him anywhere and believing in him for everything.

May also have to do with PR/legal types dictating combat goals and/or operations, either one a disaster on its face.

The mention of "not keeping promises" jumps out at me as significant. That is the theme on the domestic issues front .... Not keeping promises is a trademark of the White House's current occupants.

On the international front, and especially in COIN and strategic and tactical operations, not keeping promises is the road to ruin -- and American politicians have a long record of forcing American Armed Forces to march down it.

C-JCS is at least distancing his shop and all within it from willingly going down that road, which is what the 60s/70s JCS should have done and did not.

Now to find that primary source ....

[David R. Graham]

Admiral Mullen's speech, from the JCS site:

http://www.jcs.mil/newsarticle.aspx?ID=142

[mojo]

Drop all the bridges, crater the runways, level the power system, cut off the communications links to the outside world.

They want the 14th century, we can supply it.

Oh, sorry. That was arrogant, wasn't it? Tough.

[Ran]

"They want the 14th century, we can supply it."

Our time machine can revive the stone age, if asked. H^ll, we can take anyone back to raw protoplasm if asked.

; ]

[David R. Graham]

@Mike2Cents and mojo: From a-posit postures you are babbling in ignorance, or to change the metaphor, striking air. Really!

[gary gulrud]

Well, there goes my hope for a military solution, here at home.

[mark l.]

“I would argue that most strategic communication problems are not communication problems at all,” he wrote. “They are policy and execution problems. Each time we fail to live up to our values or don’t follow up on a promise, we look more and more like the arrogant Americans the enemy claims we are.”

i missed the wiki entry about adm mullen emerging from a coma weeks after 9/11.

it might explain his lack of insight into the rxn from the muslim 'street' in the days after 9/11. the attacks of 9/11 were deemed, by the majority of muslims, as their payback for all previous US sins. no amount of pennance could have addressed this before 9/11, so the delusion that there is some from of pennance that can redress anything post 9/11 is simply foolish.

I have a respect for adm mullen, but this work of his was written to please his new master.

"no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting".

the essential point of this line of thought would lead one to believe that all can be forgiven, by our future actions. we might as well be looking for the holy grail.

[mark l.]

let's take a look at the moderate states of jordan and egypt...

their understanding the individuals responsible for the 9/11 attacks?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_opinion_polls

16% of egyptians believe it was Al-Queda. 43% believe it was israel.
11% of jordanians believe it was Al-Queda. 31% believe it was israel.

[syn]

Harvard's Utopian dream realized.

If LSD-flashbacking peace, love and understanding parents had not send their precious kiddies to this cool college, this madness would not be happening.

[syn]

That's *sent*

[mark l.]

we don't control the medium, nor do we control the message, and we never will.

we could nuke israel tomorrow, and move up in their public opinion polls from the teens, into the low 20's, for a couple of weeks. It is a very religious society, and hating america is part of that religion.

i could offer that the crusades were responsible for the organzation of their religion to be centered around "anti-western" sentiment...

it is the motiff of their interpretation of our presense, whether it be saudi arabia in the 90's, or iraq during these oughts. when the admiral of the joint chiefs is suggesting we just need better pr, I anticipate infinitely more failure, dressed up in the minutest of successes.

[Rich K]

Now Now. All we need to do is send lots of Reset Buttons and Teddy Bears and all will be good with the world,Muslim or otherwise.
I know it will work as Hillary told me so in a secret,double secret email last week.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"....I would urge a leisurely pace in assessing fully what is going on here -- where C-JCS makes a move such as this ...."

@D R Graham; An analyst? Few of us bother to give the most cursory look at an issue...much less a "multi-dimensional examination". This is why our lefty friends are screaming that Obie's health plan is "da day of jubilo" and our rightest friends are screaming about death panels...Neither have read HR3200 ut feel compelled to exhibit their expertise. None of them realize that HR 3200 (at least what I've found) is an incomplete document, not ready for a vote. Not much difference in the opinions on the Great Sandbox Caper. The antis have a myriad of reasons to be against. Most of which can easily be traced to BDS and the pros? Well most of their reasons are equally misguided. As I've said from the beginning. No matter what we THINK is happening those "people" will be cutting each others heads off and planning our destruction six months after we leave in 2011 or 2111.

[mark l.]

we do have an ultimate backup plan...in case they ever get really organized and equipped...

smallpox, not nukes. (an irony is that our military probably runs the scenario of world deaths as a result of a small pox release, at least once every five years. small pox is actually crude...in time, and considering our advances in biotech, the next lab that invents a deadly disease, with a complimentary cure, could rule the world)

maybe the obama justice dept would like to discuss that option, so the world will understand us better.

[Ran]

Huh. Why is it that some people are Arrogant, Uncaring and Insulting towards America? Our people must be converted, enslaved or die resisting, simply because they deserve it somehow? Our people must be attacked abroad and in our own cities... because we value cultural and religious pluralism? That's "arrogance" on America's part?

Channeling Steve Martin... "Well, ex-CUSE MEEE!!"

[Mikey NTH]

No, no, no. What needs to be done is to make sure that the Muslim world understands us. To quote Gen. Mattis, USMC: "I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes, if you fuck with me, I'll kill you all."

It is a simple statement. "If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all."

[Moss]

LEST WE FORGET...

September 1st is the fifth anniversary of the almost forgotten Beslan atrocity. The full story was never published at the time.

In particular, the Islamic involvement was censored. The MSM never reported the child-rapes or other typically Islamic aspects, even though the children were being knifed to shouts of 'Allah Akhbar'.

The full uncensored story can be found in the links under 'BESLAN - Child rape, torture and ritual murder' at The Religion of Peace™ Subject Index - http://kwelos.tripod.com/subjects.htm

Could all bloggers please help to spread the truth about this massacre to warn the public of the truly Satanic vileness of this predatory murder-cult.