tabdump

In support of the last post, here’s some more top Pakistan blogging: intelligent comment about the Army in comments at AM, as well as sense from Chris “Chris” Williams, behind a post that demonstrates one of the core failings of Western thought about Pakistan. Specifically, Andy reckons the Pakistani army is failing; but failing to do what? It’s not the American Foreign Legion. That’s the Brits!

There is also sense from Juan Cole.

This is good, and I would like to say various things but for some reason I can’t comment at JK’s any more.

And slathering bigot comes out with something amusing:

The irony is that I always intended the COINdinista label to be affectionate. It plays upon what I think is the deep-seated wanderlust of the prominent counter-insurgents: They actually would rather be insurgents.

There’s something swashbuckling about you and Kilcullen and pretty much anyone else who quotes Lawrence. You see, Lawrence was a revolutionary, really, not a counter-insurgent. For all his bluster, Nir is something of a pirate, too. And Gentile, supposedly the Czar of the Cointras, also has this personality trait.

To truly understand counter-insurgency, you secretly must want to be an insurgent.