The GWOT is NOT WWII!!!

[AnnieBW]

I'm really getting sick of the comparisons of the "War on Terra" to WWII. There are some similarities between the two conflicts, but they are quite different. For example:

Main instigators: Hitler was bent on dominating Europe and installing a "master race" of Aryans to rule over the "others". His junior partner was Mussolini, a like-minded military dictator who wanted to restore the Roman empire, with him as Caesar. In the Pacific, you had the Japanese under Hirohito and Togo were bent on dominating the Pacific. In modern times, you have Bin Laden, who nominally wants to restore the ancient Caliphate (presumably under him), and a "master religion" of Wahhabi Islam. Both Hitler and Bin Laden want to eliminate the Jews, but that's nothing new. Just ask the Romans. They're gone, and the Jews are still here. :D

Type of warfare: WWII was "symmetric". Tanks, armies, bombers, fighters, submarines, etc. on each side. Civilians were generally non-combatants, unless they were Resistance fighters in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, etc. The GWOT is "asymmetric" or guerilla warfare. Our enemies don't have tanks, planes, submarines, etc. THey don't even have a country. They're scattered across the globe. All it takes for someone to enlist is to find a mosque, or even a website. In this case, our enemies are like the French Resistance. If so, what does that make us?

Level of engagement: In WWII, the entire country was mobilized for the war effort. Men were usually fighting, or at least helping the war effort in other ways if they couldn't enlist. Women went into the factories to keep them going. We were able to replace our entire fleet taken out at Pearl Harbor within a matter of months because of "Rosie the Riveter". The rich - what few of them there were after the Depression - enlisted as well, and were generally officers. Taxes were high to pay for the war. Today, well, the rich are getting tax cuts left and right. Our manufacturing jobs are disappearing to China. Our technical work is going to China and India. There is no draft. Young men and women aren't signing up in droves any more.

Armies in the field: We had millions of soldiers and sailors on two fronts, and we won both of them. Of course, we had lots of allies. What little help we have left in Iraq is waning. At least they're still helping us out with Afghanistan - for now.

Anyone else?

[Protagoras]

1. It's not a war on Terror

it's a military invasion of various places around the world to kill fear and hatred...yeah that's the ticket. We'll bomb fear and hatred out of existence.

[Monkeyman]

2. If this was WW11 we all ready be out of Iraq

[John Gauger]

3. You mean GSAVE

The Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism. They changed the name but forgot to tell Dim Bulb.

You forgot to mention that civilians were, while not combatants, legitimate targets - firebombing and carpetbombing. It's called total warfare. And let's not forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And how many of the rich enlisted? There were ways out of the draft then as in
'Nam. In 'Nam, there were 50,000 dodgers, compared with 600,000 during WWII. Edsel Ford enlisted and died in Europe because he was appalled by his father's support of Hitler - he intended to force Henry Ford to stop manufacturing weapons for the enemy. Other than that, I don't know any rich sons who signed up.

[Protagoras]

4. The violent and extreme struggle against Violent extremism

catchy.

[John Gauger]

6. Indeed

Funny how it's not terrorism when we do it.

[razors edge]

5. No it isn't

it just costs more.