Thinking Enemy
I read this in today’s New York Times,
"Maj. Gen. James E. Simmons, a deputy commander of the American-led
multinational force in Iraq and an Army aviator, told reporters this
week that multiple weapons systems had been used against American
troops before, in attacks south of Baghdad last year. ‘This is not a new tactic,’ he said. ‘But it is the first time that we
have seen it employed in several months.’"
“"We are engaged with a thinking enemy,’ he added. ‘This enemy
understands based on the reporting and everything else that we are in
the process of executing the prime minister’s new plan for the security
of Baghdad. And they understand the strategic implications of shooting
down an aircraft.’"
It was his words, "We are engaged with a thinking enemy," that startled me. What could he have meant? That usually our enemies don’t think? Sometimes the wind is our enemy, and the wind doesn’t think. Sometimes the oceans are terrible enemies, and they too don’t think. But animate enemies, and in particular ones of our own species, do they ever not think? Well wouldn’t you love that to be so. Wouldn’t you love to go to war with an enemy that didn’t think, or play chess with a non thinking opponent? But so far we have never encoutered either one. Has the General?
