Part-Time Pundit: An Insurgency in it's "Last Throes"

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June 27, 2005

An Insurgency in it's "Last Throes"

Belmont Club has a some of the transcript between Sen. Levin and Gen. Abizaid about Dick Cheney's comments about the "last throes" of the insurgency. Skipping past trying to corner a military officer into criticizing the Vice-President (an illegal act), soemthing important gets missed. "JOHN ABIZAID: In terms of comparison from six months ago, in terms of foreign fighters, I believe there are more foreign fighters coming into Iraq than there were six months ago."

From M-W.com the defintion of insurgent is:

1 : a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
2 : one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party

The problem is in characterizing foreign fighters as insurgents. They aren't insurgents, they are invaders. It isn't their government they are fighting for and they aren't rebeling against the civil authority to which they are subject (their home countries). These people are invading with either the complicity of their home states or their home states are turning a blind eye.

If the "insurgency" has the same strength, but the number of foreign fighters is increasing then it is obvious the Iraqis are getting less interesting in fighting the US. I would say that an insurgency that can't recruit locals and has to find people from other countries is an insurgency in its "last throes". I would also say that this is less an insurgency and more becoming international armed conflict.

Posted by John Bambenek at June 27, 2005 12:06 PM