Foehammer’s Anvil

At the end of World War II, the United States was occupying Germany and Japan. In both cases we were dealing with the remnants of evil and false ideologies, not much different in their effects upon the native people than those we are now encountering with Islam. Yet, back at the end of that war we handled these things far differently and the results were diametrically opposite from what we are now encountering in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and our own backyard. I believe there is a very important lesson to be learned from this is and it is so obvious that it is easy to overlook.

In World War II, we Americans were the righteous victors in a just war, so we needed no excuses for the imposition of our value system upon our defeated enemies. But because we entered the ‘War on Terror’ fighting a nebulous enemy and not Nazis or Imperial Japanese, we have allowed the very enemy that we should be struggling against, the violent religion of Islam, to not only continue in these “liberated” regions, but to actually hold even more sway than previously in at least one specific case (i.e. Iraq), and to gain adherents to Islamic Jihad worldwide at a rate that has undeniably increased.

The Japanese were following Shintoism as the state religion up until 1946, when the American government and military forced Emperor Hirohito to renounce his divine status. It was the common belief among Japanese that the Emperor was a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. This declaration of mortality, while not destroying Shintoism and the cultural ties within Japan that most likely will never disappear (and should not unless Shintoism unlikely adopts the militant attitudes of Islam), went a long way in opening the eyes to many young Japanese that they were indeed the masters of their own destinies and not meant to be subservient to some false god-emperor. So, slowly but surely, the intertwining of the best of American democratic values and Japanese culture had begun.

And we see the results today. Japan is a true ally of the United States in every sense of the word. Our economies are crucial to one another and our peoples are in a love affair of sorts, expressed through the sharing of food, culture, dress, philosophy, popular culture, history, trade, music, tourism and all the rest.

Now contrast this to how we are addressing the war in Iraq. We were true occupiers of a defeated enemy in Japan and yet suffered far less casualties as a result of our presence then we have as liberators of Iraq. Should this not tell us something?

We should never have allowed Islam to hold sway at all upon the new Constitution of Iraq. The Stalinist Hussein had more sense than our own American government in this regard. Hussein only allowed the usage of Islam when it suited him, but otherwise he ruled as a secularist with an iron fist. When we enter into the liberation (or occupation) of any nation and seek to impose our will upon those defeated governments, we can not fail to believe in our own system’s superiority and then push aside our value systems and allow the locals to continue to adhere to what we should instinctively understand as being antiquated and dangerous ideologies. After all, it was not Islam that gave Freedom to the world, but the ideals of Judeo-Christianity and Western Culture.

Now we have to contend with Sharia Law and its effects in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Europe and, yes, even the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. By not marginalizing Islam when we spend blood and treasure, we are actually empowering it. This is true folly in the very worst sense.

And so today I’m going to attempt to lay out as succinctly as possible, the road map to victory in Iraq.

At the heart of our continuing problems is the Islamic regime in Iran, and not al-Qaeda. It’s time to take out the garbage that is choking the life out of the Persian people.

IRAN

Iran aspires to bring Iraq’s oil reserves into its own control because Iran is running out of oil. Iran aspires to have nuclear power because having the means to create nuclear weapons will allow it to continue in a policy of extortion and kidnapping that are as old as the ruling Iranian government itself, but on a far greater scale. Iran seeks to become the center of power of the Islamic World. And the Iranian mullahs seek to destroy the United States and Israel. With those two “Satans” out of the way, the New Caliphate could be re-established in Baghdad, the Europeans would continue down the path towards Islam unabated and it would only be a matter of time before even China and Russia would give in to Islamists.

So, why do we still continue to play political patty-cake with Iran? Good question. And the answer is — politics. Our political leaders are afraid to mandate an attack upon Iran because of the current situation in Iraq and the upcoming Presidential elections, but the ironic part of that is, the only way to victory in Iraq is by attacking Iran! So, my advice to President Bush is simple — quit listening to political slugs and start paying attention to your toughest generals and security advisers and do what needs to be done. You’re not coming back for another term, President Bush. Do what is right.

Using our bases in Iraq as a strategic advantage to castrate Iran is exactly what they should have been built for in the first place — that and putting us in a position to acquire and/or protect Iraqi oil when needed. Global military strategy, at least when it is prosecuted wisely, is never done with a “move for a day” attitude. Contingency plans are always developed. Strategy is played well with many moves ahead, much like a Grandmaster chess player attacks his opponent across the board. Therefore, I have got to assume that our moves into both Iraq and Afghanistan, putting us in the thumb and first-finger pinch on Iran, are part of such a contingency. We had advanced warning of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and we needed to be in a position to act to stop them.

Now, the time is upon us. Attack Iran with air power and destroy the ambition for the Islamic Bomb. At the same time, destroy much of Iran’s military and Islamic infrastructure and puncture all its support systems for our continuing problems with the “terrorists” in Iraq.

Once this is done, turn a steely gaze upon another enemy.

SYRIA

Once the United States destroys the capacity of Iran’s Islamic regime, the Persians may very well find it in their souls to finally fight a revolution to retake Iran. (Much like what might very well be in the works down in Venezuela under Hugo Chavez, that friend of Iranian President Ahmadinejad.) Syria has been mucking around with Lebanon for decades, plotting and carrying out assassinations of Christian leaders and others, all in an effort to tilt power towards complete Islamic dominance and build another front-line against Israel so that she can be destroyed. So, once Iran is dealt with, Syria’s President Bashar Assad should be given an ultimatum: “Get your cronies out of Lebanon now and forever, or you’re next.”

AFTERMATH

With sufficient force and fortitude, the United States would take the head off the snake in Iran, and then we would finally see a reduction in the violence in Iraq, enough for us to extricate our troops slowly and cautiously, while still maintaining key, well-defended bases outside urban centers and within air support from our carrier fleets. Within one to two years we could have most of our troops out of a stable Iraq, Iran would no longer pose a nuclear threat, thereby far reducing the danger of nuclear terrorism abroad and here at home in the United States, and victory could safely be declared in Iraq.

This is really the only way, folks, that I can see to do things right.

There’s much more that could and should be done, however. For instance, we should do all we can to foment a revolution in Iran. With a friendly Persia as a new ally to the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan would have a far greater chance to shake off the yoke of Sharia Law and Islam one day. This is hardly something that will manifest overnight, but if we are to ever defeat Islam in the coming century, we have to lay the groundworks today.

If we are truly seeking victory in Iraq, we have to understand what it is all for. If we are looking to withdraw our troops, we have to do it the smart way. And if we are going to make the sacrifice of blood and treasure all worth it, we have to stop reacting to world opinion and just do what must be done for ultimate victory not just today, but for the longterm.

Basically, it’s time to get tough. It’s time to delve into war and own the reasons why it is sometimes very necessary to embrace violent remedies to otherwise impossible problems. We need to understand what winning in Iraq really means.

The Art of War

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” - Sun Tzu, the Art of War

I believe this is exactly what our military leaders are doing today. Iran’s Islamic leadership is under the impression that we are so tied down by their proxy warriors in the form of al-Qaeda, that we do not have the means or the will to stop Iranian nuclear technology from threatening the world. I suppose that in the coming months, we shall see who is right, but I’m willing to bet, that all things are not as they appear, and that Ahmadinejad and his Ayatollah are in for a very, very rude awakening from some very loud noises.

Islam is the enemy of the Free World. Iran is the head of that enemy. Saudi Arabia is the heart. Both will have to be attacked, one way or another. With Iran, military force should be sufficient. With Saudi Arabia, pulling our oil companies out and making the Arabs fend for themselves for a change, should go very, very far in reducing the funding for Islam that is so heatedly being produced by the Wahhabis in that nation. The U.S. government should subsidize and otherwise coerce oil companies to get out of the Middle East. If opening tracts of land in Alaska, and coastline near the United States for new oil production is the key to that, then do it. At the same time we should have our scientists working towards the goal of producing alternate fuel sources and better and ecologically safer ways to refine oil. Think of it as the new goal of America on a par with the old race to land on the Moon. If we can get rid of our need for Islamic oil, then suddenly Islam has a limp grip and the enemy is severely weakened.

But there’s so much more to be done. Huge hurdles ahead like puttting a wall on our border with Mexico. Closing our borders to Muslims. Stripping Muslims of student visas and shipping them home. And yes, outlawing Islam in the United States and redefining parts of our Constitution so that no religion has the protections therein to be allowed to one day usurp our freedoms and overturn the intent of the United States Constitution itself!

These are just tiny parts of what should be a far-ranging plan to deal with this war, but I hope that today I have put together enough of the harsh realities of how to go about this, to open more eyes to the possibilities, and to show that we are far from being defeated, if only we have the will to do what is right and necessary.

The road to victory in Iraq runs over Iran and Islam.

Related Resources: U.S. - Japan Relations Declassified

Recommended Reading: The Final Move Beyond Iraq