(click on photo to enlarge – courtesy The Project Gutenberg EBook)
Like Joe, I am also travelling…but in Western India on a Press Institute of India and World Bank assignment for journalists. However, I have some spare time so could not resist the temptation of responding to Rep. John Murtha’s statement, considered by some as “provocative”.
The Pennsylvania Democrat said of the Haditha incident: “The tremendous pressure and the redeployment (of soldiers/Marines) over and over again is a big part of this…And this strain has caused them to crack in situations like this.”
I know this is not a politically correct statement to make, however it seems to me much closer to truth (in my huge country some parts have been plagued with ethnic and religious insurgency for years).
The terrorist strategy relies on surprise, is secretive, brutal and turns into a long-term engagement with the State forces because it cunningly chooses soft targets.
This strategy helps divide the civil society because in view of brutal violence people start pressurising the State to end terrorism quickly. As there is no quick-fix solution, the onus then falls on the soldiers of the country.
However, the situation becomes more complicated when a State takes the fight to the foreign soil (at times uninvited). The hatred of the populace multiplies when the soldiers from abroad (for whatever genuine reasons) overstay their hospitality.
Now this complicates the situation. On the one hand the local population has to contend with violence because of ethnic and religious divisions…and then comes the might of a strong foreign nation — whose culture, manners and language is totally different…A recipe for disaster.
So the local civil population begins resisting both the terrorists and the foreign soldiers — earning the wrath of both lethally armed professionals. A deadly situation — from the frying pan into the fire.
The foreign soldiers are not seen as liberators–but as another curse. The soldiers are not there of their own free will. For them it is the command structure. And a good soldier is expected to obey the command – right or wrong.
“The issue is a difficult one for soldiers and marines to discuss. To admit that repeated deployments can wear down their judgment or effectiveness is to admit, in effect, that they are not up to the job that has been given them. This runs counter to a bedrock tenet of the armed services, which is to do whatever job the nation gives them with pride and professionalism.
“Moreover, soldiers and marines resent what they see as the self-righteous condemnation of critics who sit thousands of miles from the fight and have little concept of what it means to fight an insurgency.”
I think Rep Murtha’s statement merits serious discussion without the usual hyperbole and hysteria — a COOL HEAD is needed to do this!!! Aye or Nay????
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.