Yes, Saddam Hussein was a tyrant but his power was contingent upon military muscle.
William D. Huggins, The Republican Guards and Saddam Hussein's Transformation of the Iraqi Army, The Arab Studies Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Spring 1994), pp. 31-35
www.jstor.org
Iraqi armed forces were professional and their commanders were obedient to Saddam Hussein:
- Saddam ordered them to invade Kuwait and they completed this mission in a few hours in 1990 without question.
- Saddam ordered them to stay put in Kuwait when US/NATO arrived in Saudi Arabia (Operation Desert Shield), and they remained in their positions without question.
- Saddam ordered them to strike at Israel during war with US/NATO (Operation Desert Storm) in 1991, and
they did it without question.
- Saddam ordered a part of his forces to invade Khafji in Saudi Arabia during during war with US/NATO (Operation Desert Storm) in 1991, and
they did it without question.
- Iraqi Republican Guards fought till the end in battles of Wadi al-Batin and Madinah ridge in fact.
history.state.gov 3.0 shell
history.state.gov
US/NATO defeated Iraq in the war (and liberated Kuwait by extension) through combination of a well-planned military operation involving
a deception plan and tactics and technological supremacy
with surprises in the mix.
Feb. 28 marked the 30th anniversary of the end of offensive operations in Operation Desert Storm. Desert Storm was a sustained 43-day air campaign
warontherocks.com
Your feelings are understood and appreciated but the lesson is to
not allow non-state-actors (NSA) like Al-Qaeda Network to flourish in our region. These type of organizations have no sense of nationhood and its priorities. Al-Qaeda Network's politics and actions brought war and misery to our region. Those who want to live peacefully - can be forgiven.
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Mongols were most potent in combat situations under Genghis Khan. Their ability to fight a war varied across regions subject to availability of leadership, resources and circumstances. They had subjugated multiple civilizations by the time they reached Egypt in 1260.
Hulagu Khan - the man credited for defeating Abbasid Caliphate across Iraq, Syria and Palestine - had to return to Mongolia due to death of Kublai Khan and could
not partake in war with Mamluks in Egypt.
The death of the Great Khan
However, the power dynamic changed when the Great Khan died in an expedition to China, and Hulagu had to return back home to decide who would be the next Great Khan. He left only a small force behind to keep the presence of the Mongols in the area. Seeing the opportunity, Qutuz the Mamluk invaded Palestine and allied with a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars, to defend Islam and free the Mongol occupied Damascus and most of Bilad al-sham.
Seeing the now growing military strength of the Mamluks, the Mongols tried to bring forth a Franco-Mongol alliance but failed to do so since Pope Alexander IV forbade it. Alternatively, although there was a long-standing Christians against Muslims feud between the Mamluks and the Franks, the Franks understood that the Mongolian hordes would spare none, and thus they allowed the Mamluk armies to pass through their lands. When news came that the Mongols had crossed the Jordan river, Qutuz headed towards Ain Jalut in the Jezreel Valley to meet them.
The Fascinating Story of the Battle of Ain Jalut — 1260 A.D.
medium.com
Political circumstances of the time made it possible for Mamluks to defeat a Mongolian force led by Kitbuga Noyan in the
Battle of Ain Jalut.
Allah Almighty helps
the deserving in mysterious ways of-course.
But it is important to understand events correctly and read situations correctly. Allah Almighty have given all humans an excellent brain to use.
WE fight when it is absolutely necessary but WE should choose our battles wisely when WE have options.
As pointed out above, it is important to understand events correctly and read situations correctly.
US
never fought a war with Venezuela, Cuba and Iran respectively. You are attributing imaginary defeats to US in these countries. US harmed these countries in other ways, however.
Venezuela = significant economic problems
Nicolas Maduro is trying to make amends with US without making much noise. The ongoing Russia - Ukraine War is creating an opportunity for Venezuela to export oil to affected countries. Economic recovery is looking possible.
Cuba =
disarmed in 1962
Insignificant to US anyways.
Iran = economic problems and lack of breakthrough in nuclear weapons program due to sabotage
Iran was in the process of making amends with US in times of Obama administration but Trump administration rejected JCPOA.
Iran is now having talks with US and Europe to renegotiate JCPOA.
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Afghanistan in retrospective
War in Afghanistan was about dismantling Al-Qaeda Network in large part and
this mission was virtually concluded by assassinating Hamza Bin Laden in 2019.
Pakistan also desired leverage in Afghanistan due to which it prevented extinction of Afghan Taliban.
But problems for Pakistan are far from over:
,.,.,. The Rising Tensions Between Pakistan And The Afghan Taliban An Afghan Taliban delegation leaving in Moscow, Russia May 30, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS The Taliban did not fight a 20-year insurgency against the US and NATO to become Pakistan’s puppets. Arwin Rahi May 09, 2022 Despite the...
defence.pk
Afghan Taliban are just like other Afghans; take advantage of Pakistan's support when in difficult situation but disregard Pakistan's concerns when in power.
Pakistan could not capitalize on American presence in Afghanistan to its advantage and secure a better solution for itself. Pakistan had leverage in this matter but achieved subpar results in the end.
Afghanistan = significant economic problems and headache for Pakistan
There is nothing to celebrate in regards to alleged American defeat in Afghanistan. They handed over Afghanistan to Afghan Taliban as per Pakistan's wishes after getting rid of those who were deemed responsible for 9/11.
They might be laughing at Pakistan from a distance now.
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Vietnam War in retrospective
US fought a war in Vietnam in the 1960s when its military technologies were nothing like in 1991 (vs. Iraq) and beyond. Vietcong and American troops could
not defeat each other due to
technological limitations and
geographical factors and were
locked in a stalemate.
Technological limitations
For perspective; USAF could
NOT knock out a Vietnamese bridge (Dragon's Jaw) with "standard munitions" for a long time in Vietnam:
"At the outset of the Vietnam War, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff rated the Dragon’s Jaw as No. 14 on the list of the most important targets in North Vietnam. It carried the only railroad in the North Vietnamese panhandle and was a key link in the supply route supporting the war in the south. When the Rolling Thunder air campaign began in 1965, the bridge was selected for early attack.
On April 3, 1965, Lt. Col. Robinson Risner led a strike force of almost 80 aircraft from bases in Vietnam and Thailand against the Dragon’s Jaw. The actual attack was conducted by 31 F-105s from Korat Air Base in Thailand, half of them carrying Bullpup missiles and half with 750-pound general-purpose bombs.
Planners had expected the attack to drop the bridge. However, neither the missiles nor the bombs caused any appreciable damage. One pilot said the Bullpups, which had lightweight 250-pound warheads, simply “bounced off” the target.
The next day, Risner led a restrike by 46 F-105s. This time, they left the Bullpups at home and hit the bridge with some 300 bombs, but the results were no better than before. Two further strikes in May closed the bridge briefly for repairs. Large mines, dropped upriver by transport aircraft, floated into the bridge abutments but they had little effect.
By 1972, the Air Force and the Navy had sent 871 sorties against the Dragon’s Jaw, losing 11 aircraft but failing to knock out the bridge.
Precision-guided munitions in Vietnam wrote the book on ground attack.
www.airforcemag.com
Smart Bombs were first produced in 1972
but Nixon administration had withdrawn American troops from Vietnam by the time. The war was all but over by the time. USAF had the opportunity to test its smart bombs on the Vietnamese bridge (Dragon's Jaw) nevertheless:
The F-4s hit the bridge with 26 laser-guided bombs, several of them heavy 3,000-pounders, and did what all of the previous attacks had not been able to do. According to an Air Force review of the action, “The western span of the bridge had been knocked completely off its 40 foot thick concrete abutment and the bridge superstructure was so critically disfigured and twisted that rail traffic would come to a standstill for at least several months.”
Precision-guided munitions in Vietnam wrote the book on ground attack.
www.airforcemag.com
The mighty bridge collapsed in a matter of minutes.
The road and railway bridge at Thanh Hoa south of Hanoi spanned the Ma River and was a vital link in the movement of communist troops and supplies. For the better part of a decade, U.S. Navy, Marine and Air Force aviators braved the flak-filled skies over North Vietnam on missions to destroy the...
www.historynet.com
Geographical factors
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Topographic-map-of-Vietnam_fig1_233808418
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11483-coastal-living-a-growing-global-threat/
Vietnamese geography prevents mechanized thrusts in numerous sectors of the country. USA had
NO choice but to use helicopters to insert troops in such sectors to confront Vietcong forces and/or to conduct bombing runs in numerous sectors to soften Vietcong infrastructure. American troops could win battles but gains on the ground remained limited.
Locked in a stalemate
Battle of la Drang = Indecisive
Battle of Khe Sanh = Indecisive
Vietcong's Tet offensive = US-led forces repel this attack (victory)
Operation Apache Snow including the battle of Hamburger hill = US-led forces secure
thung lũng A Sầu region (victory)
but are withdrawn due to political reasons.
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Emphasis mine. US/NATO are well-equipped to defeat Vietnam in a war in the present. But they have made amends by now.
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Your feelings are understood and appreciated but Pakistan has to find a way to work with US irrespective of who is in power. There are significant economic factors on the line and American power continues to increase.
Funny thing is that every country has to at some point.
WE do not have significant oil reserves like Venezuela and Iran at our disposal as a matter of leverage. WE have to develop our industries and increase our exports. US and Europe are valuable markets in this respect.
China does not have much use of our goods - they develop much on their own. They have given CPEC to Pakistan which is a significant gift by any measure. But Pakistan is too big to put all of its eggs in one basket and flourish.
WE can choose to protest American interference in Pakistan's political affairs in person but WE should also question our leaders (and establishment) in this respect - to explain
why they are unable to build relations with US. This would be rather interesting twist in this circus.
Remember this proverb:
"Taali do haath se bajti hai."
