Today I started to watch a YouTube video – homesteading/prepper genre – and I got so fed-up that I unsubscribed and decided I’m done watching that channel. The person was talking about the situation in the Middle East and insinuating that Israel allowed this Hamas attack to happen or had something to do with it, by framing it with, “how could Hamas get through the Israeli border?” and that’s the right-wing TPUSA guy, Charlie Kirk’s, framing that it must be some kind of Jewish conspiracy that’s been racing around right-wing social media, rather than that Hamas found ways to breach the Israeli high-tech border security system and launch a very carefully planned and executed attack – this was a sophisticated attack from the reports I’ve read online. I’m not assuming this person meant this as an anti-Semitic statement, but I’m sick to death of the stupid conspiracy theories that race across the Trump-right online spaces. After reading more reports of the atrocities committed, that were just released by the Israeli government, I wasn’t in the mood for this level of stupidity and ignorance.
And yes, it’s stupidity to not have a clue that asymmetrical attacks by forces with way less military power against more highly trained forces and sophisticated defensive systems, are possible and it’s something terrorist groups and guerilla type forces often resort to. Anyone who doesn’t realize that even the most high-tech and sophisticated defensive structure can be breached is an idiot. I don’t know the details of Israeli security, even though I’ve watched a lot of news about Israel over the years, with them coming under attack so often.
Heck, today was the anniversary of the October 23, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing – 241 US service members died in that blast set off by a suicide bomber driving a truck filled with explosives. That attack was linked to Hezbollah. The US invaded Grenada on October 25, 1983. I remember when my husband, who was in the 82nd Airborne deployed. I didn’t know if they were headed to the Middle East or somewhere else. The call came at night to report in with bag and baggage. I was 7 months pregnant with our second child. A lot of major crises can happen quickly. I found this article, How the invasion of Grenada was planned with a tourist map and a copy of ‘The Economist’. Well, I have two of those tourist maps that my husband used to navigate. Afterwards, my husband and some of his friends were sitting in our kitchen and they were talking about the map said, “120,000 warm and friendly people” and laughing hysterically.
There is no such thing as 100% impenetrable defenses, especially the border of a country. Israel had daily crossings of Gazans coming into Israel to work. Here’s an article from September of 2022, Israel okays 1,500 more entry permits for Gaza workers, bringing total to 17,000. This article states, “Israel will raise the quota of work permits for Gazan Palestinians to 17,000 next week, expanding a policy that defense officials view as a means of maintaining quiet on the country’s southern front.” That’s a lot of people coming and going from Gaza and so much for that working out as a means of maintaining quiet on Israel’s southern front.
There are all sorts of books on asymmetrical warfare and frankly, the question I was asking was how Hamas managed to defeat the more sophisticated defensive system the Israelis relied on. I’m sure the IDF and Israeli security forces are piecing this together carefully, because these security failures posed an existential threat to their country.
There are too many Americans, whose entire understanding of the world is all about the present American partisan battles – on the right it’s always the MAGA vs. the Libs and they avidly embrace whatever crazy ideas the MAGA pundit class feeds them. On the left there’s an alarming number of American young people ranting, “Free Palestine” and taking to the streets, ranting anti-Semitic slogans, like “from the river to the sea,” not even having a clue that this is a call for the annihilation of Israel and driving all the Jews from the Jordan River into the Mediterranean Sea. There have been numerous news reports of leftist activists tearing down posters of people being held hostage by Hamas.
This is the state of America and it alarms me.
I pulled out a book to reread today and I highly recommend it if you want to learn how to think through national security issues: National Security Dilemmas: Challenges & Opportunities, by Colin S. Gray. This isn’t some answer book on these complex issues and that’s the thing, you have to do some reading and then do some more reading to understand complex issues. Often I realize new things and realize how I viewed a situation for years was not accurate or I learn more and that added knowledge gets me rethinking my views. In many situations there are more nuances than most people realize, so I like to keep reading and learning more. I also like to listen to people who are subject matter experts and I’ve always read a lot of government reports and I like reading military history and lessons learned reports. But I am terrible at geography and always have to refer to maps.
It’s amazing to me that so many people who’ve never bothered to read anything about complicated situations listen to some yahoo pundit or someone on social media and then believe that’s some brilliant analysis. I’ve read several of the late Dr. Gray’s books and recommend his books and writings if you want to expand your understanding and learn how to think through military strategic issues and national security dilemmas.
Right now, it looks to me like America is facing our most determined adversaries (China, Russia, Iran and I think North Korea has joined the pact) working in tandem to overwhelm America and the West with crises.
If I was a betting person, I’d think China and North Korea igniting some foreign policy fires in other parts of the world is next and them launching some attacks through terrorist proxies inside the US or attacking our troops or interests somewhere around the world would not surprise me in the least.
This is the reality and it’s what our adversaries are doing – to pursue their own interests. it’s not some big Jewish conspiracy or the evil military industrial complex – it’s America’s adversaries are on the move to knock us to our knees. I believe America and the West are now facing the most challenging, rapidly changing and complicated security challenge in my lifetime.
Simplistic blathering about how the American people don’t want to get in any more wars isn’t a luxury we’re going to have if American troops come under increasing attacks and if other big players like Iran, Russia, China, or North Korea start threatening our allies and countries we have made security agreements with or there are more large scale terrorist attacks. We should be bolstering our alliances – especially NATO and our close allies in the rest of the world. Those security arrangements bolster our American security.
On a personal level, I believe everyone should be seriously thinking about personal security, having emergency food and water supplies, and learning to practice situational awareness, which doesn’t cost a thing – just pay attention to what’s going on around you, especially in public places. Don’t walk around in public engrossed in your cell phone.
And even as all this stuff is going on in the world, it’s important to still be grateful for each day and carry on your normal life – because that’s the best thing you can do for yourself and your family.
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