For the past 3 years or so, most have been referring to the fight against terrorists as the "Global War on Terror". Some called it the Global War on "Terrorists". Now, it seems that the name has been officially changed to the Long War.
In the annual report publication of the Association of the U.S. Army (2006-07 Green Book) the Army Chief of Staff uses the term Long War in his portion of the report, and as I read through other articles written by senior Army staff people, military and civilian, I saw it used again and again. So, that must mean it's official...we're now involved in the Long War.
I wonder who came up with that term. I guess it sort of makes sense, but for some reason it doesn't seem right to me. For example, how long is "long"? World War Two was pretty long it seems to me, as was the war in Viet Nam. The Cold War was longer still.
How do we define victory in the Long War? Is it over when we defeat all the enemies we have, or when they surrender or quit the fight? And, exactly who are the enemies we face in the Long War? My assumption is that the enemy are terrorists throughout the world, who seek to eliminate all influences and domination of nations in the democratically free world. If that assumption is correct, then are we not in a war against terror/terrorists? If so, what was wrong with the previous name…Global War on Terror?
