COIN of the Realm

One golden shot means another poor victim,
Has come to a glittering end,
For a price, he'll erase anyone
The man with the golden gun
--The Man With the Golden Gun, Lulu


Why are they dying? I have written this so many times.
They are dying because the President has opened a Bible again.

The Marines think that unless they die the rivers will not move.
They are dying so that the mountain shadows will continue
to fall east in the afternoon,
--The Teeth Mother Naked at Last, Robert Bly
________

General Petraeus and Iraq Prime Minister al-Maliki are reported to be clashing, and al-Maliki may even ask for Petraeus' removal from command. Apparently, Petraeus is not the Counterinsurgency (COIN) expert as touted by the MSM and the administration. Perhaps more to the point, Petraeus is doing what COIN people do, which is not what is required to solve Iraq's problems. Ranger has previously questioned the wisdom of assigning Petraeus to be the big dog in Iraq.

Forget what the books or the manuals say about COIN. The first rule is that both parties in the equation must have the same horse in the race. This is what was usually implied by the phrase "hearts and minds." It is clear that Petraeus and al-Maliki are not on the same sheet of music.

What this means is that U.S. policy and Iraqi sovereign policies are not the same. In short, Petraeus is fighting an insurgency, and al-Maliki is fighting a civil war.

The media pumps out the spin that Petraeus is the Golden Boy. If anyone has the antidote to the miasma that is Iraq, it is he. But what if our project is not the same as that of our hosts?

A recent article reports, "Iraq May Ask for Petraeus' Ouster," but really, it is al-Maliki, as voiced by his aide Sami al-Askari--both previously marginalized Shiites--who want Petraeus' ouster. Al-Maliki et. al. are riled that Petraeus has the temerity to integrate perceived Sunni masters of terror into the governmental mix.

After five years of blatant sectarianism, the military is being asked to play like they are dealing with a representational democracy. The game of faking it 'til you make it does not seem to be working well. It is an important point: al-Maliki is not Iraq, much as GWB is not America. The test of a leader's efficacy is how well he maintains cohesion. GWB likes him o.k., but it doesn't seem to be working for Mr. al-Maliki.

If GWB were the embodiment of America, this old Ranger would check out of the net.