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| The American Insurgency (Revolutionary War, I mean) |
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| kojax |
 Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:00 pm Post subject: The American Insurgency (Revolutionary War, I mean) |
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Forum Radioactive Isotope
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 3034
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I'm curious why it seems that insurgencies like the one being carried out in Afghanistan have no problems with morale. We know from American history that the Continental forces in the American Revolutionary war had tremendous difficulties with morale. Soldiers were always quitting and going home, then some of them would return, etc...
Do you think it's because a British victory was culturally allowable, since the British were basically members of our own culture? (Whereas US victory in Afghanistan would mean defeat by a foreign invader.) Is it because the Taliban have no genuine risk of defeat? (There's no city or formal government group that the USA could seize control of that would signal the end of the war.)
Maybe the Taliban does have trouble with morale, and we just don't hear about it? |
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| icewendigo |
| Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 637
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"since the British were basically members of our own culture? "
good point, from the perspective of the original inhabitants of America that were invaded, occupied and ethnically cleansed, there was not all that much difference between the English invaders that occupied their land full time and the English invaders that occupied the land part time. The differences between who rules was mostly political, but in afghanistan the cultural difference(including religious) is greater. Also the Afghans have fought Empires before, the fought the British Empire, the USSR and now fight the American Empire, so they might be used to it like a tradition.
Also, unless Im mistaken, the US Continental had formal government as you point out, but the Afghans are tribal, if you control Kabul, well, you just control Kabul.
"Maybe the Taliban does have trouble with morale, and we just don't hear about it?"
Maybe, but I think it would be pointed out by the military as a pep talk kind of thing or on right-wing warmongering media "the surge is working"
(unrealted: it s#cks that the Netherlands are allowing the US Empire to build bases on Aruba and Curaçao in the carabean, shame on the Netherlands government  , as if imperial bases around the world by the hundreds weren't enough yet, jeez  I guess It'll soon be time for more propaganda against Chavez to justify even more intimidation and more wars) |
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| Scifor Refugee |
| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:07 am Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 1885
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I suspect that part of it has to do with the fact that most of the "insurgents" fighting the US today are from the lowest economic brackets, and don't really have anything else going for them, so why not fight?. A large percentage of the soldiers in the American Revolution were (by the standards of the time) reasonably successful farmers or business men who actually had something to go home to, and who were responsible for families etc.
Also, it probably didn't help that back then the different colonies weren't really very united. Often people from one colony (say, Virginia) would be reluctant to go fight the British in, say, New York. For them, it was like leaving home and traveling to another country to fight a common enemy. You know that it's in your best interests, but you're not going to be all that committed to it, since it isn't actually your homeland.
Plus the fact that the Continental Army was constantly short on funds to pay people with... |
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| kojax |
| Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Radioactive Isotope
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 3034
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| Scifor Refugee wrote: |
Plus the fact that the Continental Army was constantly short on funds to pay people with... |
That's certainly an advantage of feudalism. No salaries to pay. |
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