{"id":1527,"date":"2006-08-15T00:45:21","date_gmt":"2006-08-15T05:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/?p=1527"},"modified":"2006-08-15T00:53:54","modified_gmt":"2006-08-15T05:53:54","slug":"ralph-peters-lessons-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/targetcentermass.net\/?p=1527","title":{"rendered":"Ralph Peters: Lessons So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ralph Peters looks at Israel’s current campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the most recent engagement against expansionist and radical Islamic terrorists, and his outlook ain’t cheery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Israel’s war against the Middle East’s first true terrorist army provides tough military and strategic lessons – old, new, and all too often disheartening. Israel’s been winning on the ground. And still losing the war.<\/p>\n

This bitter conflict – in which most casualties on both sides of the border are civilians – raises troubling questions, too. Some are identical to those confronting us in Iraq. Many have troubling answers. Others have no real answers at all.<\/p>\n

The elementary fact – which far too many in the West deny – is that our civilization has been forced into a defensive war to the death with fanatical strains of Islam – both Shi’a and Sunni. We may be on the offensive militarily, but we did not start this war – and it’s all one war, from 9\/11’s Ground Zero, through Lebanon and Iraq, and on to Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Until that ugly fact gains wide acceptance, we’ll continue to make little decisive progress. American or Israeli, our troops are trying. But the truth is that we’re really just holding the line.<\/p>\n

We have not yet begun to fight. And many among us still dream of avoiding this war altogether.<\/p>\n

It can’t be done.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mr. Peters goes on to state and expound upon seven lessons to be taken to heart from the current Israeli-Hezbollah affair.<\/p>\n

\n