Originally Posted by
Jonathan Goss
I remember reading in Sebastian Junger's "War" that one of the problems with creating any form of "national" governing authority was the distances between population centers and the inability to provide a form of federal (like we have) control over them because they were so spread out and with so many variations, I guess a result of tribalism. It seems like dealing with dozens of different city-states, each with their own nuances and separated by terrain that doesn't lend itself to cross country government monitoring or control. Having never been myself and never studied a current map, I can't say, but it seems to make sense and I think that's what you're sort of echoing (though I could be wrong).
Some of your terminology is both fascinating and foreign to me, particularly "kinetic and non-kinetic environments", "the Law of Land Warfare", and "COIN".
Also, you spoke of the defensive role of violence in the military's role in Afghanistan, though it's way off topic, how do Marines approach the offensive role of violence? Do you seek out enemies and set up situations to receive fire from targets so you can return fire or actively pursue/stalk known combatants and destroy them? I admit being vastly naive on this subject and am just curious as to how Marines go about the more proactive side of violence in an AO, if at all. (I also understand that this is probably too multifaceted a topic to really do justice but any input is, as always, greatly appreciated) As always, thank you for taking the time to read and/or answer. The point of view of the USMC is exactly what interests me in these matters, hence why I ask here.