Rebel fighters seizing control of Tripoli filled airwaves around the world late Sunday evening. Within a six month grueling insurgency against one of America’s greatest enemies, Qaddafi and his cronies appear to have finally met their fate. Some call this pure luck, others say it was tactically impeccable– a few acknowledge that when you want to defeat a rogue regime, the people must be empowered.
The rebels of Libya were empowered by a coalition supporting their activities. The coalition did not bring mass special operatives into the country nor did they promote a mass conventional force. No, the coalition took a back seat, supported with air and naval assistance along with some in-country covert activities and allowed the ground force to remain all things Libyan.
Everything resulting in the past six months is exactly how rogue regimes should fall–empower the people. Interestingly enough, through empowering rebel forces, the United States and its coalition still fails to realize that some within the rebel echelons are terrorist entities like the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group–maybe our politicians believed they were the lesser of the two evils in country.
Needless to say, what resulted in Libya is similar to what occurred in Afghanistan back in 2001. The United States worked closely with anti-Taliban forces. Our covert operatives assisted when needed and at times led the way. Our air power was superior and our operatives impeccable. The initial marching orders of the war were achieved late 2002 ousting Taliban control over the country.
Both situations prove that a mass conventional force is not conducive while fighting against asymmetric and unconventional threats. In fact, at times, incorporation of mass conventional forces may play into the hands of the opposition. Six months and Qaddafi is virtually ousted from power. Ten years and Afghanistan continues to fall backwards, but why?
It is quite obvious why Libya appears to be a future success story yet Afghanistan will likely become a “how not to fight counterinsurgency warfare.” Obviously, the situation will always dictate our play in fighting against rogue regimes and insurgencies however that situation is built around perception. Western perception has often hindered our success. Hopefully, a new perception consumes our minds while facing future asymmetric wars–local indigenous forces can achieve victory without us taking the lead.
Today, Libya appears to be a success story. With time, we will soon understand who takes the lead in rebuilding the nation and what players become involved. Depending on the new regime, Libya could become the epitome of future military operational case studies for success. There is still time to leave Afghanistan with our heads held high. To do this, we should begin empowering the people to defeat the anti-Afghan opposition forces–it worked in Libya and it would likely work in Afghanistan.
Kerry Patton is the Co-Founder of the National Security Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organization pending 501c (3) status. He has worked in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, focusing on intelligence and security interviewing current and former terrorists, including members of the Taliban. He is the author of “Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies” and the children’s book “American Patriotism.” You can follow him on Facebook.