JamesMorrison wrote:ebrown_p
Quote:"It is wrong to compare Spain's withdrawal from Iraq with Appeasment before WWII. The situation before WWII is completely different from the mess we are in today."
Oh? How so? Did Neville Chamberlain's efforts directed towards selling the Czechs down the Nazi River work? Was this settlement enough to appease the Austrian corporal? Did this ultimately save lives? Before that in 1936 when Hitler sent just a Battalion of the German Army to probe the Rhineland (a blatant breach of the Treaty of Versailles) and the French, who possessed the largest standing army in the world at the time, did nothing. How did this passive appeasement work towards world peace or, more pointedly, the French way of life in the succeeding years?
I wasn't arguing at all about European history of 60 years ago. I was just pointing out that there aren't very many parallels. German was a military power who was occupying another nation they had just invaded in spite of widespread international opposition. I don't see any parallels.
Quote:
How do the results from appeasement differ whether the force demanding such cowardice stems from Islamic Fundamentalists whose stated goal is to destroy Western Civilization or from Germanic tyrants who similarly publish their goals of world conquest?
They differ quite a bit. In fact it is a stretch to make any comparisons.
The "Germanic tyrants" power came from a national military force backed up an industrial base. The main source of their power was nationalism.
The "Islamic fundamentatlists" power comes from low-level military tactics backed up by support from religious and political ideals. The main source of their power is radical religious and a deep belief that Arabs are getting screwed by the west.
The "tyrants" had a standing army with a visible front and clear lines of support.
The "fundamentalists" are far dispersed and hidden in many nations and small cells.
The tyrants fought a conventional war.
The "fundamentalists" use terror and guerilla tactics.
The tyrants were defeated because we took away their industrial production and overwhelmed their army.
The fundamentalists will only be defeated when we take away their support in the minds of people.
