[Chapter 748: Old K's Debut]
Intervention in foreign affairs was basically a regular occurrence for the U.S. Back then, if someone wanted to avoid it, well, that was pretty much impossible.
It was either the U.S. couldn't handle you, or your country was in such disarray that they simply couldn't be bothered.
At that point, Sudan was not on the U.S.'s radar. Not only were there no benefits to gain, but they also weren't sure how to intervene. As for Afghanistan later, the U.S. had basically given up on that, too.
Underdeveloped countries were, quite simply, unbeatable.
You wanted to bomb their critical facilities? Sorry, that didn't exist, good luck trying to blow something up.
As for surrender, that was even more ridiculous. Afghanistan had been at war for thousands of years. Frankly, they were used to it. If one day they suddenly stopped fighting, they might even find it hard to adapt.
For Bill Clinton, nearly a year into his presidency, it certainly couldn't be considered a success. The economy was okay, but no one credited him for it. By the time he took office, the U.S. economy was already on the rebound.
As for foreign policy, it was a chaotic mess over a single Olympics. Did he really think that close to half of the votes came from the black community? It was naive; there were plenty of countries that were dissatisfied. If he continued down the path of unilateralism, things wouldn't end well.
Clinton was torn; he intended to show off some military skills. With the midterms already looking grim, if he couldn't pull off something impressive on the military front, the next few years wouldn't be pretty.
As for a target, his chief aide suggested Somalia.
...
"Somalia, are you sure about that, Tanner? What's the reasoning?"
"Master, they significantly increased their mobility forces. Somalia has UN troops; it's unnecessary to go that route."
"Mobility forces? What does that even mean? Is that a designation?"
"Master, they typically lack tanks and armored vehicles. Humvees and Black Hawks are their main transport."
"Black Hawks? If Apaches are getting shot down easily, what good would that do?"
"Some things, the higher-ups might not know. These guys really should have at least gotten a couple of A-10s for cover."
"Wait, Tanner, are they actually going to war?"
"Ahem, Master, it's highly likely. They're probably looking to capture Somalia's leader. They plan to replicate the Panama scenario."
"Hahaha, what an idiot. What excuse are they using this time? Just keep an eye on it -- can Panama and Somalia really be compared?"
...
As mentioned before, underdeveloped countries were undefeated. Sure, you could also say it wasn't necessary to defeat them.
Warfare and fighting were quite similar, especially if the opponent was fearless. You only went all out against someone if you felt stuffed.
Everyone had seen Black Hawk Down. Indeed, the U.S. had a smoothly executed decapitation mission at first. What they didn't expect was that the locals didn't care one bit about what people they captured.
If Somalia was like a quagmire, then after the U.S. action, it had successfully morphed into a cancer.
The entire nation was fragmented, and piracy became its only thriving industry. Even if you wanted revenge, you wouldn't know who to target.
...
"What did the boss say, Tanner?"
"Max, the master doesn't care. He seems very skeptical about this."
"Ugh, my friend is in the Rangers, and he's not optimistic either. Those suited nuts are giving out orders with no clue."
"Ha! It shouldn't be a huge issue. If push comes to shove, we just storm right in."
Max was very depressed. How come this guy and the boss look like they were cut from the same mold? The guys coming out of Alpha didn't seem so different, either.
"That's ridiculous. What about all those civilians?"
Tanner looked at him suspiciously, unsure what to say. Others dying was better than oneself, right? That's how the master always put it and insisted it. As for whether anyone was innocent, couldn't they just repent?
Tsk, why do you think the master is so familiar with the Bible? Ahem, it seems inappropriate to criticize the master behind his back.
"Max, this is going to be a real mess. Besides, what's the point of fighting in a place where a bird wouldn't even shit? You're not planning to move to Somalia, are you?"
"Don't even joke about it! I just got a few solid nights of sleep. Outside of South Africa, every diamond-producing area is embroiled in conflict. Seems like that's truly an ill-omened thing."
Tanner thought to himself, this was what the master always referred to as holding a rare treasure; if you had something precious, it's only natural that others would covet it.
...
Clinton faced setbacks in Somalia, which delighted William White. If he didn't wise up, the U.S. really would become the most hated entity. The issues facing the black community were their own; they weren't invited into this. This was honestly quite annoying.
William White couldn't stand Donkeys, and that was no joke. Just look at those nerve-wracked initiatives, sending a bunch of passionate soldiers into battle -- the commander on the ground must've had a massive headache.
William White's anticipated failure came quickly. A group of disheveled soldiers fled Somalia, leaving behind a dozen corpses. As for their accomplishments, ahem, best not to mention those. The CIA's intel had clearly faltered again; Aideed just wasn't around.
Man, Bush Sr. only killed a few people when he beat Saddam. If it weren't for friendly fire, the casualties would have been limited.
Look at your situation -- it was just one night. Starting off incomprehensible and ending in humiliation. The experience the U.S. just gained from battling Saddam evaporated overnight.
Now the whole world knew that the U.S. was only good at bombing; nothing else. They couldn't manage to take out armed fighters with simple weapons. Now that was really embarrassing.
Saddam lying in the presidential palace was in agony; he had made a mistake -- a colossal mistake.
If he hadn't confronted the U.S. head-on, he wouldn't have lost his elite forces so easily. He didn't need many soldiers; just ten or twenty thousand would've sufficed. Urban warfare was the name of the game.
...
Like the guy who sighed in Washington, they all wanted to buy some regret medicine. Unfortunately, many things in this world can be bought.
Regret?
You keep on regretting. Clinton didn't even need to step outside to know that those Elephants would never let him off the hook. How much time had even passed? The White House was already bustling in front.
Although Bush Sr. had won, the anti-war sentiment at home remained strong. If this guy dragged things on, he could probably secure another term.
As for now, wrapping things up after a major defeat and losing so many soldiers was a panic for the American people. Were they really facing another Vietnam?
The Black Hawks that you all praised were taken down by a single RPG. If those bastards had Stingers, well, that was a thought that couldn't even be entertained. Without three to five thousand troops, Somalia's pit couldn't even be filled up.
Most importantly, why were we going to fight? Don't even get me started; Somalia had nothing to offer, and even if it did, was it worth such a tremendous cost?
Called a chameleon by Washington, Clinton certainly did not disappoint.
An immediate withdrawal from Somalia was essential; whatever was happening there had nothing to do with us. Should assistance be required, it should be within the framework of the International Food Organization.
As for whether to introduce democracy, Clinton didn't even bring it up. To the uninitiated, it looked like he was a peace-loving guy.
*****
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