Alyson+S.+-+Am.+Revolution+&+Afghanistan+Essay

Mr. President, In a fight for independence, the colonists under Great Britain’s rule revolted against their motherland, bringing the British away from their home turf and astoundingly defeating their army after one brilliant trap at Yorktown. Many of the problems Great Britain faced in the failed attempt of defeating the insurgency of the 13 colonies in the American Revolution could be taken into account for the war fought in Afghanistan today, and hopefully prevented. It would be wise to take note of the past, for history can repeat itself.

When in the state of war, Great Britain fought the raged American rebels in a struggle to retain their position as the largest, strongest empire of the world. Great Britain had the weapons, the food, the supplies, and the money, like the USA today, but they lost against the strong idea-led colonists. Great Britain had many big problems that could have led to their demise, many like our position in Afghanistan today. Not only were they not on their home turf, which makes it harder to navigate their tactics, but also how do you kill an ideal? Great Britain struggled to realize the fact that the colonists would not give up and stood their ground firmly and as hard as Britain tried, the colonists had a passion, a vision for the future, something to fight for. In addition, the British had ill prepared tactics and plans, one which led to a win for the Americans. When traveling through the course he chose to take his troops from Canada to Albany, General Burgoyne realized “…what looked like an easy invasion route on a map was anything but easy.” (HA, 93). That can also relate to the problem of being on foreign terrain because Burgoyne and his troops did not realize the hardships they would face in the route. As well, the British army was not together as a whole and had barely any teamwork, “…General Howe had his own ideas about how to win the war.” (HA, 93) Today we are faced with the issue, should we send more troops into Afghanistan? Looking back on the past there are factors to consider. Great Britain fought only to defeat the enemy; the colonists fought for an ideal, of independence, of freedom, “…patriotism of people…willingly gave their lives to defend their liberties and their homes.” (HA, 88) If Great Britain had sent in thousands more troops, would that have affected the outcome of the war? It is most likely that the troops would only stall or calm the colonists rebellion for a time but not solve the issue, because the colonists would very well strike back again one day. The continental army was inspired by Thomas Paine’s “//The Crisis//” with one passage that they based there courage upon, “//These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.//” (HA, 92) The continental army suffered through a whole winter under the daring conditions of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania with no food or supplies, would they really give up easily because the number of soldiers against them overwhelmed them? In the war today, we could play the role of Great Britain and Alkida could play the role of the colonists. The Alkida have a strong religious based ideal to fight for and to risk their life for, unlike the enlisted soldiers from the USA in Afghanistan only to fight the enemy. Though the Alkida would be silenced for a short time, the outcome of sending more troops to Afghanistan would be analogous to the one of Great Britain sending more troops to the colonies. If the only choice possible when consulting the Afghanistan troop conflict is to simply send more troops into Afghanistan, then it is necessary to first analyze the mistakes made by Great Britain. Great Britain brutally underestimated the insurgency of the 13 colonies, but for good reason. It was not expected that 13 colonies of raged rebels could overthrow Britain with barely any weapons, food, clothing, and supplies. Great Britain thought they had it in the bag, but they never thought of the additional tricks that the colonies had up their sleeves. There was such a thing named Guerilla warfare, which helped the continental army tremendously. Guerilla warfare consisted of soldiers that did not band with the continental army, but fought for the same cause, “…harassed the British with hit-and-run raids. Then they faded into the swamps and forests like foxes.” (HA, 96) Another major mistake Britain endured was that they had no order and had very “poor leadership.” (HA, 89) The British army was run under Lord George Germain, thousands of miles across the globe. So, how could he have any idea how to win a war in a country he had never stepped foot in. Lord George Germain believed that the war “could be won by conquering a city or two.” (HA, 89) What is really needed is good planning in Afghanistan. It is necessary to research the foreign terrain where fighting. Knowing one’s surroundings is key in overtaking any army. Also, it would be wise to be more careful then driving your equipment through the Afghanistan deserts. Tactics need to be well thought out, terrain needs to be mastered, and furtiveness needs to be acquired. The country relies on you now for your decision, Mr. President; use this information wisely.