Al-Shabab says it wants to force Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Some in Kenya might sympathize with that demand. In addition to becoming a target for terrorist attacks, Kenya and its African Union partners have paid a high price for their Somalia intervention. According to the United Nations, as many as 3,000 of the African troops have been killed. By comparison, 3,300 U.S. and NATO soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
This is a crucial contest — and not just for Kenya. Al-Shabab is one of several al-Qaeda affiliates in an arc that stretches from Yemen to Mali, Algeria and Nigeria. The jihadists threaten to produce a string of failed states, and their transnational ambitions are growing. Al-Shabab has recruited Americans as members
Great Satan has spent more than $1 billion in the past several years to back security and nation-building efforts in Somalia, has a big stake in Kenya’s continued commitment to counterterrorism. The administration, which has carried out drone strikes and other special forces operations in Somalia, has strongly supported the African Union deployment
Kenya will need both moral and material U.S. support as it recovers from this horrific event.>
Pic - "A congressional report from July 2011 found that al-Shabab had recruited more than 40 Americans, and at that point at least 15 had been killed."
At great risk of appearing all ConFederalicious at once, check it outSome 150 years ago, events during a Civil War battle in rural Northwest Georgia profoundly affected the president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
You may wonder how a battle so far removed from the White House -- and to this day from the importance history grants more famous fights -- could so personally affect Lincoln himself. The answer lay in a story of divided loyalties, but similar paths.
Most people are familiar with Lincoln's story, from his birth in Kentucky, education in the law and rise in politics to the presidency, but how many know about Benjamin Hardin Helm?
Helm was born in Bardstown, Ky., the son of lawyer and politician John. L. Helm. He studied law at the University of Louisville and Harvard and began practicing with his father in 1853. In 1855, he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, eventually becoming state's attorney. In 1856, Helm's parallel to Lincoln became even more pronounced when he married Emilie Todd, half-sister of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
Helm was a Confederate, but, as with so many other citizen-soldiers from states with divided loyalties, could've easily allied with the Union. He loved the South and his father had risen to the governorship. So, who could have swayed his allegiance to the Confederacy? Perhaps a president. As war loomed, Lincoln offered Helm the position of Union Army paymaster or a post on the distant frontier. Both roles would have kept him mostly out of harm's way, either in Washington, D.C, or the West, but his upbringing and family loyalty swayed his allegiance.
Helm chose to remain loyal to the Confederacy, returning to raise the 1st Kentucky Cavalry Regiment. The decision likely cost him his life.
Helm became a commissioned officer and by the time he arrived at Chickamauga was a general commanding the First Kentucky Brigade, known popularly as the "Orphan Brigade." On Sept. 20, 1863, the unit engaged Union forces from, ironically, Kentucky. Helm was shot in the chest, quite possibly by a sharpshooter from his home state. Carried off the field he later lay dying, but was reportedly able to ask who won the battle. Assured the Confederates had taken the day, he muttered, "Victory! Victory! Victory!" He succumbed to his wounds on Sept. 21, his last thoughts being of Confederate victory. Rebel forces may have won the battle, but the main objective, Chattanooga, was still up for grabs and would fall into Union hands only two months later.
Once news of Helm's death reached the White House, Lincoln, visibly shaken, reportedly refused to believe it. Senator and friend David Davis witnessed Lincoln's reaction, writing: "I never saw Mr. Lincoln more moved than when he heard of the death of his young brother-in-law Ben Hardin Helm, only thirty-two years old, at Chickamauga. I called to see him about four o'clock on the 22nd of September; I found him in the greatest of grief. 'Davis, he said, I feel as David of old did when he was told of the death of Absalom.' I saw how grief stricken he was so I closed the door and left him alone."
Lincoln's affection for his sister-in-law was unwavering, despite her allegiance to the Confederacy. After Helm's death, Emilie, summoned to the White House, spent considerable time there in mourning. Lincoln, consequently, faced many political attacks from the press about his loyalty, providing evidence that some things never change, and that family can trump politics. Once Emilie left the White House, Lincoln granted her passage through Union lines to return to Kentucky. Finding resistance, eventually she took the oath of allegiance to the United States to aid her journey.
That Lincoln was so profoundly affected by the death of an "enemy" officer says many things about that time in U.S. history.
The story of Helm, Lincoln's Confederate, is a fascinating one, but the same can be said for countless others who fought for the Union or the Confederacy. What motivated these men? Was it their defense or opposition of slavery, protection of hearth and home, their way of life?
When visiting Chickamauga Battlefield, view the new Visitor Center film to learn about the unsung heroes of area battles, men like Helm; Lt. Joshua Callaway, 28th Alabama; and Lt. George Van Pelt, 1st Michigan Light Artillery. The sesquicentennial provides an opportunity to reflect on how historic events in our collective "backyard" affected so many people, and helped shaped a nation's future
Pic - "Terrible Swift Sword"
From the Review of Small Wars, Far Away PlacesBlending engaging character sketches and telling vignettes with geopolitical analysis, it presents the two decades after 1945 from a vantage point that provides illuminating perspective. Actions in those years set the path for later policies and established perceptions that are still hard to escape. The United States took on a new global role amidst the wreckage of World War II, but Americans failed at first to appreciate how fully total war had disordered the world. Leaders elsewhere had their own illusions about recovering positions their states’ resources no longer could sustain. Burleigh’s wide-ranging account brings out the relationship between political challenge and response, along with the difficulties in understanding very different societies from the outside.
Small wars that roiled distant places over the 20 years after 1945 highlight the difficulty of maintaining political order amid deeper cultural and social upheavals. Understanding complex situations, particularly when they involved different cultures, presented difficulties Western leaders rarely overcame. Intervention all too often entailed a costly struggle or made outside powers the means to self-interested ends sought by local groups. Burleigh’s analysis underlines the limits of what outsiders can accomplish: seizing the golden hour of opportunity sometimes works to push events along a desired path, but all too often the chance never really existed.
Pic - "A series of vivid, vigorous narratives, illuminated by telling snippets of information, compelling but rarely flattering portraits of the key characters and some trenchant judgments."
WoW - the Watchers Council - it's the oldest, longest running cyber comte d'guere ensembe in existence - started online in 1912 by Sirs Jacky Fisher and Winston Churchill themselves - an eclective collective of cats both cruel and benign with their ability to put steel on target (figuratively - natch) on a wide variety of topictry across American, Allied, Frenemy and Enemy concerns, memes, delights and discourse. Every week these cats hook up each other with hot hits and big phazed cookies to peruse and then vote on their individual fancy catchers Thusly sans further adieu (or a don"t)Council Winners Non-Council Winners
See you next week! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
Way back in the last millennium, as the most uncivil war raged across, through and all around Chattaboogie - and the bloodiest battle of all them climaxed by this time in 1863
By 1863, Confederacy was in a terrible bind - 4 July saw the loss at two diff battlefields hundreds of miles apart - decisive disaster on two fronts. One at Gettysburg and one at Vicksburg.
Chased out of Tenneesee, Confederacy deployed her combat rock stars like Hood, Longstreet and Bragg to delay, repel and defeat the Yankees long enough to draw one last time on the war weary reserves of Dixie.
Confederacy desperately needed a prestige victory.
Turning several square K of pure heaven into pure heck for three days, Confederacy ferociously fought at Chickamauga. And where a war that was almost won - was almost lost
Today is the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga - Both sides were lined up - Confederacy facing west and Union facing East through thickets, woods, hills and dells. The line was drawn, reserves were available and everbody knew if Confederacy couldn't stop Union here - she probably never would.
Thanks to a goofy screw up in communiques, Yankee generals pulled a brigade out of the line to plug an imaginary gap to the north. General Longstreet threw his entire corps through the gap, shattering Union lines, annihilating and enveloping the Yankee left flank.
The rout was infectious and broken units fled back to Chattaboogie, while others fought to the death.
Advanced weaponry was in play at Chickamauga - like Colonel Wilder's 'Lightning Brigade' - horse infantry - freshly equiped with the world's first repeater rifles.
These cats kept the air alive with hot lead for over several hours and probably saved the Union army from a defeat far worse than the battlefield could have or should have delivered.
In von Clausewitz's must read doctrinaire "Vom Kriege" (On War for the English speaking) instant follow up is critical.
Every instinct will cry out to the commanders for pause, rest - refreshment."Once the great victory is gained, the next question is not about
rest, not about taking breath, not about considering, not about reorganising, etc., etc., but only of pursuit of fresh blows wherever necessary, of the capture of the enemy's capital, of the attack of the armies of his allies, or of whatever else appears to be a rallying point for the enemy. "
General Bragg choose not to pursue the Union - he later led a slow leisurely siege of Union at Chattaboogie which only served to lengthen the war until Union busted out and fought non stop to Atlanta - where General Sherman debut'd the concept of Total War licking Georgia's peach clean till she begged him to hit South Cackalacky who had started the entire sorry mess to begin with.
Pic "Rally in the center"
If one thing is pretty clear - autocrats tend to take up for each other at UN - even when innocents are dying via other autocratic nation statesThus, Great Satan should look to form a new body to address humanitarian, governance, and safety issues: the United Democratic Nations.A United Democratic Nations would be composed of only the world’s most free countries: those who have had decades-long traditions of open, fair elections and institutions, peaceful transfers of power, well-established protections for all. The list is not hard to imagine.
The United Democratic Nations’ mandate would be to safeguard freedom and openness and to protect the voices who cannot express themselves in undemocratic countries: too often, it’s women and girls, ethnic minorities, and civilians trapped by combat. It would deliberate resolutions that support democratic institutions and protect innocents. In extreme cases, it could sanction the use of military force to protect civilians in combat. (Though, of course, all nations would reserve the right to use force in self-defense.)
A body of the world's democracies would have so much legitimacy that it would make cases of worthy intervention—like Syria and Libya—easier, while making dubious interventions—like Iraq—more difficult.
As an institution composed of the governments only true democracies, deliberations on the use of force would be elevated to where they should be: among a congress of nationally-elected officials who can better balance the needs of their constituents with the need for freedom across the globe.
Pic - "Global peace will not be achieved until democracies replace the world's remaining dictatorships"
While Arab Spring's disappointing demarche continues to trudge along in an uncool way, cats are finding it easy to diss the idea of democrazy's universal appeal.For now. People do want to live in freedom and dignity. They want to form associations of their choosing, and if permitted to do so, they quickly form the organizations that become the sinews of a free society and that impart the habits of a society that cannot be cowed. These groups around the world deserve more help than we are giving them. No single triumph is inevitable or should be taken for granted. But in the long run, with or without outside help, they will prevail.
As predicted way back - "It is a generational commitment. Not a generational commitment in military terms; it is a commitment of our support to them, our political support and an understanding that democracy takes time." See, Eventually, democracy must prevail over a nation’s failures. But democracy can only work if it is accompanied by a constitution with a Bill of Rights guaranteeing minority civil liberties. Democracy alone, without rights enshrined in a constitution, can be a dangerous tool in the hands of fanatics who would use populism to dismantle individual freedoms.
Constitutional democracy is the only real hope for the earth’s inhabitants and that, difficult as it is to see, all humanity, deep in their hearts (and hopefully not too deep), yearn to be free.
Pic - "And anywhere, any time ordinary people are given the chance to choose, the choice is the same: freedom, not tyranny; democracy, not dictatorship; the rule of law, not the rule of the secret police."
