ARTICLE: Dutch Soldiers Stress Restraint in Afghanistan, By C. J. CHIVERS, New York Times, April 6, 2007

Good piece by Chivers, who's former military-gone-journalism and who occasionally writes for Esquire (Warren thinks he's a water-walker). Restraint is everything in peace-keeping for two reasons: 1) to want to create local capacity, not do it for them, and 2) your real goal is the overall reduction of violence, even at the costs of increased risks to your own guys and maybe not going kinetic on every bad guy out there (remember, they will grow them faster than you can kill them).

Dutch, like the Brits are super solid on this. I got a chance to chat some up just exiting Afghanistan while in Crete (they go there for R&R). Like the Brits and Canadians and Aussies, these guys are very impressive, very smart, very talented officers.

They can teach us much.

Thanks to motoole125 for sending this.