Knowing and respecting our enemies

We citizens tend to trust our judgment when it comes to estimating our enemies, foreign and domestic. Between our busy schedules, current events pursuits, and historical readings, most of us are satisfied as to our present knowledge and decisions.

Many have been in the foreign intelligence loop in the past, and know that in that past there has been a difference between intel and the press, as it should be. When Jimmy Carter’s CIA fellow Stansfield Turner gutted the humint side of intel, more of the intel community came to use the growing 24/7 news cycle as a fall-back on humint. But what a poor fall back having been able to compare the two.

Then, when one reads how the remaining humint side of intel was PC’d up, one can suspect our leaders probably don’t have faith in the present product, and consider seeking other sources. What a terrible state of affairs.

How does a common citizen keep up?

Can we keep up with current foreign events, as in what is really happening everywhere in the world? The quick answer is no. (When have most last kept up with Cypress or Nepal or Ecuador?) Can we keep up with current events in hot spots like Iraq? Yes, only if we ignore the MSM and read blogs, which of course need to be filtered like all other news. Can we keep up with how our enemies in Iraq and the region think? No. We can read their obvious propaganda, but can we filter out the propaganda part? Probably not very well.

There are other points of view. This is good. Back in the 70’s and early 80’s some government intel said the Russian military was ten feet tall. Many were taught this during their formal military education. Some other intel said otherwise, and it turns the latter were more correct. Andrew Cockburn’s book circa 1983 where he interviewed former Soviet army soldiers was a better education for war fighters than the alternative; though all read both, of course.

So what are we common citizens to do in regards forming our opinions about foreign policies? It is suggested we recognize that we cannot know it all, and give our politicians the benefit of the doubt that they may be operating from a point of view of extra information that we do not have. For the cynical, it is difficult to offer other ideas.

For the domestic frictions, we have many more available means to listen and learn. The reports are everywhere. One can selectively choose. Some of us choose those that are about their domestic enemies; not published by them, but about them. For example, the reports about Congressman Rahm Emanuel’s ego and egomania about his part in winning the House races in Congress are telling. As many read them, he is full of himself, and more interested in his party than his nation. This is terrible news given our nation’s problems and his influence. But for lack of knowing what to do, he and his brother in Hollywood do what they know.

We must respect all our enemies, foreign and domestic. One just wishes they could know more about these enemies than we do, since most don’t plan on standing still.