I had the pleasure recently of interviewing Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Peters
I have not met Colonel Peters in real life. The interview was conducted by email. What I can say is that beneath the occasionally tough persona Colonel Peters displays on television and in print, he is a deliberate and thoughtful man that possesses genuine warmth.
In addition to having a distinguished military career, the Fox News military analyst and New York Post columnist is also the author of plenty of books.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ralph+peters&x=0&y=0
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05262009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/instant_justice_171002.htm?page=0
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06192008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/obama_vs__osama_116128.htm?page=0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lJPnijk5Wg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3LIc_F-6s
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08072009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/world_burns_as_doc_o_fiddles_183348.htm
On military matters, Colonel Peters holds a place in the recently created Wall Street Journal/Charles Krauthammer Index of Intellectual Titans.
With that, I present the brilliance of Ralph Peters.
1) What is the Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters story?
I’m a coal-miner’s son. My family had dramatic ups and downs. I was a wild kid. I joined the Army as an enlisted man in 1976. The Army straightened me out. I became an officer through OCS. I picked up a couple of degrees along the way and started writing essays and novels while still on active duty. After serving as a Military Intelligence officer in conventional units, I became a Foreign Area Officer specializing in the dying Soviet Union and the “new” Russia. I Got tapped as the Army’s global scout and found myself in dozens of different countries, from Bolivia to Burma. My job wasn’t to pull triggers, but to observe other countries in crisis and report back. It was a fascinating chance to see just how ugly humanity can get, from refugee camps to roadblocks manned by drunken thugs.
I loved the Army and serving our country, but I chose to retire in 1998, shortly after promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel, since I was outraged by the Clinton administration’s passivity in the face of various threats–not least, terrorism–and wanted to write freely (Serving officers cannot and should not criticize our president, no matter who he or she may be). On September 11, 2001, I regretted having retired–but we make our choices in life and must live with them. So I do my best to support our troops and our country by writing my columns and books, and by speaking out.
Oddly, I never thought I’d have anything to do with journalism, beyond a few military articles. Yet the phone started ringing as soon as I retired. I think what appeals to editors and readers is that I always turn in clean, clear “copy,” I don’t waffle, and I tell the truth as best I can determine it, no matter the consequences. This doesn’t mean I’m always right–only God is perfect–but I tell folks that, well, if I’m wrong, at least I’m honestly wrong. I pay the bills with my pen and don’t take any political or industry back-door funding.
I am happily married, love hiking and Shakespeare (all the Elizabethans and Jacobeans), and the thing that would most surprise people who know me only through my “warpath” public persona is that I’m actually a very happy person who delights in every God-given day. Despite all of our troubles these days, it’s a wonderful thing to be an American citizen in 2009 (or any year).
2) What can ordinary citizens do, besides donating money and buying your books, to help win the War on Terror? What obligations do we have, and how can we help?
Buying my books won’t help win the War On Terror (my publisher’s grateful, though). Anyway, it’s fine with me if people get the books from the library–I’d just like them to read them. I’m especially anxious for folks to read the new novel I have coming out on September 15, THE WAR AFTER ARMAGEDDON. It’s set after–yes, after–the nuclear destruction of Israel, when a battered US military has to return to the Middle East. It’s a fast-paced story, thrilling to read, and I chose fiction to drive home the risks Israel faces simply because more people read fiction–and, if you tell an exciting story, you reach them on an emotional level. Although I’m not Jewish myself (I’d be proud of it, if I were), I feel a deep bond with Israel and am horrified by the Obama administration’s conviction that, somehow, Arab terrorists and Israeli Kindergarten kids are equally guilty for the region’s problems. Anyway, I do want to scare people–because the reality is terrifying.
What can we all do to help defeat terrorism? I’ll resort to platitudes, because the platitudes are true: Support our troops. Vote. Fight political correctness. Tell the truth. Be a good citizen. Don’t let the establishment media tyrannize you. And don’t vote party lines–for either party. Hold politicians individually responsible. Love your neighbor, smite the wicked, salute the flag.
3) Many people say they support the troops, but what can and should Americans do to make that more than a slogan? What are the very best ways ordinary citizens can help our soldiers?
One of the best ways to support our troops is just to think for yourself and not let the establishment media sell you a bill of goods. Freedom of thought and expression is elementary. The extreme left loves the First Amendment–as long as it only applies to them. When you believe the media are lying, talk back, write back, fight back.
On a practical level, there are some very good charities that help our gravely wounded soldiers and their families. I won’t favor any one of them here, but just say “Check before you donate,” of course, because there are always vicious characters who’d steal from anyone. But some of these soldiers have multiple limb losses, devastating burns, memory loss, blindness…they gave all they could to us. Let’s help them in their recovery and transition back into our society. By the way, one of the things I’m proudest of as a journalist is that, with the New York Post team, I was able to raise over a million dollars for a re-integration facility for our veterans in San Antonio. Oh, and one other thing: When you’re traveling or just out and about…if you see a soldier, walk up and say, “Thank you!” They appreciate it.
4) With regards to Iraq, what have we done right, and what have we gotten wrong, in the last 6 years, and what steps need to be taken to improve the situations that require improvement?
What did we do right? We deposed Saddam Hussein, a monstrous dictator responsible for over a million-and-a-half deaths, and we gave one vital Arab state a chance to become a rule-of-law democracy. What did we get wrong? Trying to do the occupation on the cheap. In warfare–the most complex of human endeavors–some few things are straightforward. One clear thing is this ironclad rule: “He who is unwilling to pay the butcher’s bill up front will pay it with compound interest in the end.” Iraq wasn’t inherently hard. We made it hard by trying to do it on the cheap and violating fundamental principles. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, especially, was a disaster. But, despite the tragic errors, it’s to President Bush’s credit that he didn’t quit. Today, Iraq looks like it has a chance to succeed–imperfectly, but wonderfully by the standards of the Arab world. It won’t be Iowa, but it still may be a democratic beacon for its neighbors–and we’ve already seen the Iranians next door out in the streets, crying out for honest democracy. I believe it was Bush’s tenacity, not Obama’s disgraceful apologia in Cairo, that made the difference.
5) With regards to Afghanistan, what have we done right, and what have we gotten wrong, in the last 8 years, and what steps need to be taken to improve the situations that require improvement?
What did we do right? We promptly struck back, stunning al Qaeda and punishing the Taliban for hosting the terrorists. What did we get wrong? We stayed. Afghanistan wasn’t the problem. Al Qaeda was. Afghanistan is a black hole. Trying to turn Afghan elders into good Americans is a hopeless cause. We should never tie our troops to “real estate” and feckless nation-building efforts. We need to concentrate on killing terrorists, not teaching hygiene to Afghan hillbillies. Let me be perfectly clear: In and of itself, Afghanistan is worthless. And nobody in Washington can give a convincing rationale for our continued presence. We don’t have a strategy, just sound bites. And no American soldier should die for a sound bite.
6) With regards to any other foreign policy hot spots, what have we done right, and what have we gotten wrong, in the last 8 years, and what steps need to be taken to improve the situations that require improvement?
We promoted democracy, which was wonderful. Then we backed away from promoting democracy, which was tragic. Our foreign-policy principles should be based upon our values and security needs, and they should not bounce back and forth between administrations. Our face to the world should wear a constant expression of vigilant good intentions. One terrible mistake, though, that Bush and Obama both share, is the belief that strategic progress is all about personal relationships. It’s not. It’s about interests. It doesn’t help to make nice with Putin or Chavez. We need sober policies based upon our strategic interests–not on weekend getaways or bear-hugs with dictators.
7) How does the Obama Doctrine differ most consequentially from the Bush Doctrine? What aspects of the Obama Doctrine are an improvement, and what aspects are a regression?
As near as I can tell, the Obama Doctrine is simply “America’s guilty.” Bush’s corresponding doctrine was “America’s a force for good in the world.” Take your pick.
8.) Our country is incredibly polarized. Outside of another 9/11, is it even possible to unite Americans? What can be done to help reduce the acrimony among Americans today?
I believe that most Americans are still in the middle. But middle-of-the-road views don’t make for exciting television or radio shows, or for dramatic headlines. Extremists–hardcore extremists–on either end of the political spectrum are bad for our democracy. Unfortunately, the blogosphere does a great deal to empower irresponsible extremists, the really good haters. Speaking of the blogosphere, my rule is simple: I don’t trust or take seriously anyone who lacks the guts to sign his or her own name. Now, I’m not talking about people having legitimate fun–I’m talking about the obscenity-laced rants. “Anonymous” is a synonym for “coward.”
9) Who are your three favorite political leaders of all time, American or worldwide?
Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Oliver Cromwell.
10) Who are your three favorite military leaders of all time, American or worldwide?
Joshua, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
11) What America refers to as 9/11, Israel refers to as every day life. What did America get right and wrong in its relationship with Israel during the George W. Bush administration? What about so far in the Obama administration?
What do Israel and Mexico have in common? They’re both vital to US security; they were both high on the Bush administration’s agenda on inauguration day; and they were both victims of 9/11. Despite some fussing about, the Bush administration simply had other priorities than Israel–which wasn’t all bad, since Bush didn’t force any genuinely stupid polices on Israel. As for the Obama administration, well, I believe our president’s world-view is much farther left than he consciously realizes. You can’t spend twenty years listening to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright spew anti-Jewish hatred, or hanging around left-wing activists, and not absorb some of their bigotry by osmosis. Sad to say, I fear that Obama came to office with a huge anti-Israel chip on his shoulder, along with a lot of phony Third-World free-the-poor-Palestinians b.s. Well, as I point out to folks, the other Arabs never really cared about the Palestinians, except as a cause, and the Palestinians could have much greater freedom, mobility and prosperity if they stopped murdering Israeli children. Obama just doesn’t get the fundamental difference between Israel and its enemies: Israel is willing to live in peace, while Israel’s enemies want every Jew dead. I hope Obama will figure things out, but I worry about him doing great damage to Israel.
12) Can the issue of Iran be resolved through diplomacy, or are we at the point where military strikes are necessary? If strikes are needed, should they come from Israel or America?
No. Almost. America.
13) Do you support coercive interrogation techniques? If so, is there a specific example where they have been proven to work?
Generally speaking, violent coercion in interrogations isn’t productive. But there are always exceptions. The master interrogators I’ve known much prefer a methodical, non-violent approach that plays to the captive’s ego. But sometimes you don’t have months. And–while I do NOT condone torture as normative behavior, if it could keep Americans alive, I’m not sure I’d stop at any means. I’m ultimately more concerned about the human rights of the innocent than I am about the rights of terrorists (the left takes the opposite view).
14) Should Guantanamo Bay stay open? If not, what should we do with the detainees?
Yes. Period.
15) Without delving into your personal life, what would you want Americans to know about Ralph Peters the person? 100 years from now, what would you want people to remember about you, and what would you hope the history books say about you?
I would just like them to know that I have never knowingly written or said a false word when speaking to the American people. As I said at the outset, I may be wrong, but, if so, I’m honestly wrong. I believe that integrity is a fundamental value–and that, if a person has the privilege to speak to his or her fellow Americans through the media, he or she has the obligation to be honest. No excuses. As for how I’d like people to remember me 100 years from now, my vanity isn’t that great. I want to continue to live a good life; thereafter, it’s in God’s hands. Rather than remembering me, I want future generations to remember that, despite a national crisis of convictions in the early 21st century, Americans came through, made the right decisions, and continued to lead the world toward freedom and human dignity.
I would like to thank Colonel Peters for his time, and more importantly, for his service. He is too humble to say it, so I will say it for him. He is a great man.
I wish Colonel Peters well always, and eagerly await his next analytical report.
The only thing left to say is what all Americans and freedom loving people world wide should say to him.
Thank you Colonel Peters. Thank you, and welcome home.
eric