“Call it what you will, COIN, Nation building, whatever, it has NEVER worked.”

I believe what is being called COIN first was tried and was successful in subduing the insurgency in the Philippines under General Pershing. And to me, COIN was successful in subduing the insurgency in Iraq. That said, I do not think the conditions in Afghanistan will allow COIN to work, and unless America is willing to impose it’s will on a whole host of Islamic nations as well as become self sufficient in oil, COIN should not be tried again. Islam must be prostrate for COIN to work. THe fundamentalist power structure that murders and punishes the apostate must be eradicated before COIN can make any difference, otherwise the moment we leave, those muslims who became westernized and civil will be punished, if not murdered. And then we’re back to square one.

But for all those who criticize COIN and nation building, you must realize that you have to be ready to nearly annihilate a la Carthage any muslim nation that we go to war with, otherwise that nation we eventually re-arm and attack us back. Islam needs to be put down and kept down almost like a rabid dog. COIN is really not the issue. The real issue is that America needs to be willing to attack and defeat Islam’s center of gravity: the oil states.