In Modern combat, the battlefield isn’t just two armies colliding with each other anymore. There are now many different problems a country has to deal with. Sometimes the problem doesn’t even come from a different country. The most difficult foe a country can face is a terrorist organization. Terrorists are a problem to a country because terrorism influences the way civilians think and make decisions.
-Terrorism
Terrorism is used to make the civilians of a government change their habits, or to make people/countries do what the terrorists want. The act of terrorism is very much alike Guerrilla Warfare. Terrorist groups are made of ordinary citizens who want something to happen/change. Since they are made up of citizens, terrorist groups are very difficult to stop. A very infamous terrorist group today is Al-Qaeda.Al-Qaeda helps supply, recruit, and train thousands of soldiers from what was at first an Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union, into the terrorist group that wants to destroy “non-Islamic” governments and to get rid of all westerners and non-Muslims from Islamic countries. A problem with Al-Qaeda is that if they attack another country, and the other government doesn’t know who attacked them, a government could respond with an attack against a country that had nothing to do with the original attack. An example of this is when September 11 happened. The United States invaded Iraq, unfairly blaming them for the attacks. Terrorist attacks are very hard to stop since they are made up of citizens. The only way to tellif someone is a terrorist is to observe them and look for suspicious activity, otherwise it is nearly impossible. Think, anyone of your friends could become a terrorist without you even knowing. If a friend can’t tell something is wrong with their friends, how should a government be able to tell?
-Terrorism influence on Civilian decisions and thoughts Civilians take a terrorist attack in many ways. One of them is uniting the people of a country, which happened from 9/11 in the U.S. Uniting a country that is attacked by terrorists is never the goal of terrorists. What terrorists want to do to the civilians is to make them scared, or terrorize them. One way that a terrorist’s goal is achieved is by killing a lot of civilians. By killing civilians, terrorists try to force a country to submit to the demands of the terrorist’s organization. A good example of this is when Israel left a country that it had invaded because they had too many young people killed. The civilians were also tired of having rockets blow-up on their own cities. When civilians are not happy, they might demonstrate their unhappiness until they get what they want, which in this case would be complying with the terrorists’ demands.
When a terrorist attack happens, it frightens the citizens of a country. Citizens will then lose the belief that their government can protect them. When this happens, some of the people could start a petition for a new leadership and some others might try to cause anarchy. When the people of a country lose confidence in their government, some could start a riot, which would only help the terrorists’ goals by weakening the country even more.
Terrorism is a major problem around the world. It is quite possibly the most problematic thing that could happen to a country. Terrorists are much harder to defeat than traditional soldiers because terrorists are made up of civilians. Since they are made up of civilians, a country could have a lot of problems identifying who caused the attack. Today, I think terrorism is much harder on a country than having to fight another country because most countries don’t want to invade another country by mistaking them for the attack.
628 words
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Guerrilla Warfare
The Vietnam War was a war that changed the perspective of battle. It was a civil war between Communist North Vietnam, who had help from other Communist countries like China, and South Vietnam, an anti-communist country that had support from other countries like the U.S. Vietnam used to be one country but it was split up into communist and non-communist countries. The Vietnam War was holds the record for having the most bombs dropped in a single war, and it destroyed a fourth of the Vietnamese forests. One reason that the war was so long was because of the war tactics that the North Vietnamese used. One of the tactics was the use of non-soldiers to attack and ambush a stronger foe, raid them and then retreat before they could be counter-attacked. This was called Guerrilla Warfare. The Vietnam War was one of the most effective wars that used Guerrilla Warfare. The Vietnamese Guerrillas used many tactics to kill their foe and one of the best tactics they used was the use of traps.
The traps the Vietnamese used were very successful in two ways; not only did these traps kill their enemy without having to put one of their own soldiers in danger, but they also put fear into their foes that witnessed the cruelty of their traps. The enemy always had to be cautious and never knew where a trap might be. They also feared the possibility of being in pain from an attack, or being paralyzed, or even losing a limb because most of the traps didn’t kill immediately. These traps frequently resulted in very agonizing deaths or at least taking an enemy soldier out of battle. Many of the traps that the Vietnamese used contained spikes that had poison on them to kill people. These traps killed over a thousand people. One of the most infamous traps was the Tiger trap. It was a trap that had a bamboo floor and only part of it was safe to walk on. If someone took one wrong step, they would fall two feet into the poisoned spikes and then die. When the victim slid into the trap, it would “reset” and go back to how it looked before. These traps were excellent for guarding bases and it made soldiers afraid to attack bases in fear of falling into one of these Tiger traps. There were a lot of other traps that were efficient in killing and striking fear into soldiers’ hearts. Two examples would be the pit of spikes covered beneath leaves, or a branch with spikes that would swing out and hit some unlucky soldier. There were also a lot of other traps that contained explosives, but these were harder to make and more expensive. This changed combat because people needed very little resources but would still be as effective as other countries that spent tons of money and equipment on warfare.
If a guerrilla didn’t use a trap to kill his foe, he would typically do a hit-and-run on enemy patrols. They would rarely attack in the open unless they had a huge advantage. Just the fear of having someone shoot at you and then disappear would drive many soldiers mad. If a soldier didn’t always keep up their guard, they could walk straight into an enemy guerrilla and be shot. Therefore, most soldiers had to keep their guard up at all times, which wore them down, slowed their advances and added to their stress levels.
The average Guerrilla was a village member who was forced to attack a larger army unit. Most of them were fanatics for defending their country and would die for their country if they needed to, otherwise, they would just run away. Today, military forces must view civilians as a potential enemy. Countries face many problems when they shoot a civilian mistaking them as a foe and then later realizing that they are innocent. Countries have to train their soldiers to recognize the difference from a threat and an innocent civilian. Military forces have to pay attention to the enemy’s army and to civil unrest because civil unrest can lead to the civilians becoming guerrillas, who could attack them and make their job even harder. Guerrilla Warfare makes it harder for countries to take over each other because the guerrillas would rather die than surrender in order to defend their country. Guerrillas are probably one of the most effective defenses for a country and show what side the civilians are taking. Even today, Guerrillas are “defending” their own country. An example of this is the Taliban in Afghanistan.
765 words
The traps the Vietnamese used were very successful in two ways; not only did these traps kill their enemy without having to put one of their own soldiers in danger, but they also put fear into their foes that witnessed the cruelty of their traps. The enemy always had to be cautious and never knew where a trap might be. They also feared the possibility of being in pain from an attack, or being paralyzed, or even losing a limb because most of the traps didn’t kill immediately. These traps frequently resulted in very agonizing deaths or at least taking an enemy soldier out of battle. Many of the traps that the Vietnamese used contained spikes that had poison on them to kill people. These traps killed over a thousand people. One of the most infamous traps was the Tiger trap. It was a trap that had a bamboo floor and only part of it was safe to walk on. If someone took one wrong step, they would fall two feet into the poisoned spikes and then die. When the victim slid into the trap, it would “reset” and go back to how it looked before. These traps were excellent for guarding bases and it made soldiers afraid to attack bases in fear of falling into one of these Tiger traps. There were a lot of other traps that were efficient in killing and striking fear into soldiers’ hearts. Two examples would be the pit of spikes covered beneath leaves, or a branch with spikes that would swing out and hit some unlucky soldier. There were also a lot of other traps that contained explosives, but these were harder to make and more expensive. This changed combat because people needed very little resources but would still be as effective as other countries that spent tons of money and equipment on warfare.
If a guerrilla didn’t use a trap to kill his foe, he would typically do a hit-and-run on enemy patrols. They would rarely attack in the open unless they had a huge advantage. Just the fear of having someone shoot at you and then disappear would drive many soldiers mad. If a soldier didn’t always keep up their guard, they could walk straight into an enemy guerrilla and be shot. Therefore, most soldiers had to keep their guard up at all times, which wore them down, slowed their advances and added to their stress levels.
The average Guerrilla was a village member who was forced to attack a larger army unit. Most of them were fanatics for defending their country and would die for their country if they needed to, otherwise, they would just run away. Today, military forces must view civilians as a potential enemy. Countries face many problems when they shoot a civilian mistaking them as a foe and then later realizing that they are innocent. Countries have to train their soldiers to recognize the difference from a threat and an innocent civilian. Military forces have to pay attention to the enemy’s army and to civil unrest because civil unrest can lead to the civilians becoming guerrillas, who could attack them and make their job even harder. Guerrilla Warfare makes it harder for countries to take over each other because the guerrillas would rather die than surrender in order to defend their country. Guerrillas are probably one of the most effective defenses for a country and show what side the civilians are taking. Even today, Guerrillas are “defending” their own country. An example of this is the Taliban in Afghanistan.
765 words
Friday, April 2, 2010
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Day of Infamy
The date was December 7, 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor had begun when a Japanese fleet of 6 aircraft carriers and 353 airplanes
attacked Hawaii. Around 2,402 people were killed and another 1,282 wounded. The attack was swift and took only three hours. Could this attack have been stopped? The answer is yes.
The United States knew well in advance that the attack on Pearl Harbor was coming. The government had information about an impending attack about nine months before the attack even happened. Five different people were responsible for the attack. The person who knew about this was an intelligence officer. The Intelligence Agency was told by President Roosevelt to not give the people in Pearl Harbor a heads-up. The Intelligence Agency knew about this because they had broken the Japanese code before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The government had told people a lie, according to Roger A. Stolley. He was the person who knew about this because he had received a letter from his radio operator that read, “The Japanese will attack at (the approximate time). Do not prepare retaliatory forces. We need the full support of the American nation in a wartime effort by an unprovoked attack upon the nation in order to obtain a declaration of war.”
Should people be surprised that Japan would attempt a “surprise” attack on the United States? You should not because in 1904, The Japanese attacked the Russian’s navy in a surprise attack to wipe their navy out. There is proof that Japan’s attack was known because…
July, 1941: United States Military in Mexico received a report that Japan was creating small boats to attack Pearl Harbor.
August 10, 1941: The British’s top agent told the FBI about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but he was ignored.
September 24, 1941: The U.S intercepts a message from the Japanese asking for the exact locations of American ships. This information was used to attack Pearl Harbor.
December 7, 1941, 9:30 AM: Two marines ask to send a report to Hawaii to warn about the attack. Their request was denied.
There are many more examples and things that happened in the web site given above.
The reason for the United States to allow the attack to happen was because President Roosevelt wanted to go to war. Congress did not want to go to war and so Pres. Roosevelt actually wanted the Pearl Harbor Attack to happen. This way he could have a reason to go to war with Germany. His main goal was not to go to war with Japan directly, he just wanted to fight Japan’s ally, Germany. He knew about the attack and did not care to do anything about it. If anything, he would have been happy to finally have a reason to go to war with Germany.
Even people who didn’t believe that President Roosevelt knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor agree that the U.S. did get a warning, but the U.S. just wasn’t certain about where the attack was going to occur. The United States should have easily predicted that one of their most important harbors was going to be attacked instead of one of the smaller islands. Even if the United States couldn’t have figured out the most likely harbor (Pearl Harbor), the President would have at least added more defenses for the attack. Since he didn’t do this, he demonstrated that he actually wanted the attack to happen so the people would support the U.S. involvement in World War II.
598 words
attacked Hawaii. Around 2,402 people were killed and another 1,282 wounded. The attack was swift and took only three hours. Could this attack have been stopped? The answer is yes.
The United States knew well in advance that the attack on Pearl Harbor was coming. The government had information about an impending attack about nine months before the attack even happened. Five different people were responsible for the attack. The person who knew about this was an intelligence officer. The Intelligence Agency was told by President Roosevelt to not give the people in Pearl Harbor a heads-up. The Intelligence Agency knew about this because they had broken the Japanese code before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The government had told people a lie, according to Roger A. Stolley. He was the person who knew about this because he had received a letter from his radio operator that read, “The Japanese will attack at (the approximate time). Do not prepare retaliatory forces. We need the full support of the American nation in a wartime effort by an unprovoked attack upon the nation in order to obtain a declaration of war.”
Should people be surprised that Japan would attempt a “surprise” attack on the United States? You should not because in 1904, The Japanese attacked the Russian’s navy in a surprise attack to wipe their navy out. There is proof that Japan’s attack was known because…
July, 1941: United States Military in Mexico received a report that Japan was creating small boats to attack Pearl Harbor.
August 10, 1941: The British’s top agent told the FBI about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but he was ignored.
September 24, 1941: The U.S intercepts a message from the Japanese asking for the exact locations of American ships. This information was used to attack Pearl Harbor.
December 7, 1941, 9:30 AM: Two marines ask to send a report to Hawaii to warn about the attack. Their request was denied.
There are many more examples and things that happened in the web site given above.
The reason for the United States to allow the attack to happen was because President Roosevelt wanted to go to war. Congress did not want to go to war and so Pres. Roosevelt actually wanted the Pearl Harbor Attack to happen. This way he could have a reason to go to war with Germany. His main goal was not to go to war with Japan directly, he just wanted to fight Japan’s ally, Germany. He knew about the attack and did not care to do anything about it. If anything, he would have been happy to finally have a reason to go to war with Germany.
Even people who didn’t believe that President Roosevelt knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor agree that the U.S. did get a warning, but the U.S. just wasn’t certain about where the attack was going to occur. The United States should have easily predicted that one of their most important harbors was going to be attacked instead of one of the smaller islands. Even if the United States couldn’t have figured out the most likely harbor (Pearl Harbor), the President would have at least added more defenses for the attack. Since he didn’t do this, he demonstrated that he actually wanted the attack to happen so the people would support the U.S. involvement in World War II.
598 words
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Stalin or Trotsky?
Russia, a country that was made into a superpower by Joseph Stalin. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Stalin.htm) He created the Five Year plans in order to create a more stable Russia and to make it into one of the best countries the world has ever seen. His reign was from 1929-1953 and he created the Great Purge from 1936-1938 to eliminate his “foes”. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Stalin.htm)
Who would have elected a man who killed around ten million people? Was there anyone else who could have been elected instead of this evil man? The answer to this question is yes. Leon Trotsky was another person who could have been elected instead of Stalin after Lenin died. Would Trotsky have been a better person to have been elected instead of Stalin? I think he would have.
First off, Leon Trotsky was an important person in the Bolshevik revolution and Stalin wasn’t. Stalin falsely claimed that he had a big part in the Bolshevik uprising when he was only a person on the sidelines. He really didn’t do much. By Stalin saying he had a major part in the revolution, he was given an unfair advantage because Leon Trotsky was Lenin’s right-hand man and Stalin wasn’t. Since he did say this, he gained a few more supporters out of lying. I would definitely not want a leader who lies to me and the world. People shouldn’t be walking around saying that I was Lenin’s best friend or I dated the President. Stalin was a liar and a horrible choice for Russia. The people should have elected Trotsky.
Stalin was also a dirty wimp who always was looking for power. All that Stalin did was look for more power and ways to keep him in power. If Leon Trotsky was elected General Secretary, he would have been more open to getting support (http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=329761) from other countries and wouldn’t have made millions of people die. Instead, he would have formed alliances with China and other communist countries to advance just like Stalin did, but less people would have died and this would have made people better and less hateful to the government.
Leon Trotsky was all for the idea of continuing WWI. He would have wanted to be in it so all the dead Russians would have been avenged. Hitler would have been defeated and possible killed if the Russians stayed in the war. Stalin would have backed out in his fear of losing power and try to make it look like he made the terms in the peace treaty although he would have been whining like a dog and agreeing to anything the Germans demanded as long as he was able to keep his power. If Leon was made the General Secretary or even the Czar, he would have saved MILLIONS of lives. The twelve million deaths from the Great Purge plus the six million deaths to the holocaust and about SIXTY MILLION from WWII would equal about 78,000,000 people would have lived. Imagine all of California, New York, Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana being wiped off the face of the Earth. (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met=population&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=how+many+people+live+in+
the+united+states#met=population&idim=state:06000:53000:32000:04000:41000:16000:
30000:36000) All those people would have lived thanks to Trotsky if he was elected.
I can’t imagine why someone would want to elect a leader who lies, cheats, and does things to only empower himself and lets the rest of his country die. If Leon Trotsky would have been elected, WWI would be known as the only world war, millions of lives would have been saved, and Russia would have many alliances throughout the world and would still be known as a superpower. He would tell public about what was going on.
Trotsky Stalin
• Tells the truth Modernized Russia
• Would save millions
• Russia still as a superpower
• Many allies
• Modernize Russia
Who would you pick?
630 words
Who would have elected a man who killed around ten million people? Was there anyone else who could have been elected instead of this evil man? The answer to this question is yes. Leon Trotsky was another person who could have been elected instead of Stalin after Lenin died. Would Trotsky have been a better person to have been elected instead of Stalin? I think he would have.
First off, Leon Trotsky was an important person in the Bolshevik revolution and Stalin wasn’t. Stalin falsely claimed that he had a big part in the Bolshevik uprising when he was only a person on the sidelines. He really didn’t do much. By Stalin saying he had a major part in the revolution, he was given an unfair advantage because Leon Trotsky was Lenin’s right-hand man and Stalin wasn’t. Since he did say this, he gained a few more supporters out of lying. I would definitely not want a leader who lies to me and the world. People shouldn’t be walking around saying that I was Lenin’s best friend or I dated the President. Stalin was a liar and a horrible choice for Russia. The people should have elected Trotsky.
Stalin was also a dirty wimp who always was looking for power. All that Stalin did was look for more power and ways to keep him in power. If Leon Trotsky was elected General Secretary, he would have been more open to getting support (http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=329761) from other countries and wouldn’t have made millions of people die. Instead, he would have formed alliances with China and other communist countries to advance just like Stalin did, but less people would have died and this would have made people better and less hateful to the government.
Leon Trotsky was all for the idea of continuing WWI. He would have wanted to be in it so all the dead Russians would have been avenged. Hitler would have been defeated and possible killed if the Russians stayed in the war. Stalin would have backed out in his fear of losing power and try to make it look like he made the terms in the peace treaty although he would have been whining like a dog and agreeing to anything the Germans demanded as long as he was able to keep his power. If Leon was made the General Secretary or even the Czar, he would have saved MILLIONS of lives. The twelve million deaths from the Great Purge plus the six million deaths to the holocaust and about SIXTY MILLION from WWII would equal about 78,000,000 people would have lived. Imagine all of California, New York, Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana being wiped off the face of the Earth. (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met=population&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=how+many+people+live+in+
the+united+states#met=population&idim=state:06000:53000:32000:04000:41000:16000:
30000:36000) All those people would have lived thanks to Trotsky if he was elected.
I can’t imagine why someone would want to elect a leader who lies, cheats, and does things to only empower himself and lets the rest of his country die. If Leon Trotsky would have been elected, WWI would be known as the only world war, millions of lives would have been saved, and Russia would have many alliances throughout the world and would still be known as a superpower. He would tell public about what was going on.
Trotsky Stalin
• Tells the truth Modernized Russia
• Would save millions
• Russia still as a superpower
• Many allies
• Modernize Russia
Who would you pick?
630 words
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