kh (03/15/83)
"Crossfire", a show on the Cable News Network, last week had a show about El Salvador. The guest was an expert on guerrilla warfare. I found many of his opinions surprising, considering that he was a member of the Conservative Caucus. First of all, he said that the army of El Salvador was badly led, with mostly corrupt leaders (though he did cite a few exceptions), and was using bad strategy for the type of war that was going on. The army also suffers from bad morale; the army of Guatemala was much better in each of these categories according to his experience. He seemed to know what he was talking about and had visited El Salvador five times in recent years, so it wasn't just ivory-tower research. He said that additional military advisors were not necessary, but that a civilian staff would allow those already in El Salvador to spend more time training and less time with their many other duties. Still, he admitted that a purely military solution was unlikely to be easy or produce permanent results. His most surprising suggestion was that a cease-fire should be negotiated with the rebels and peace-keeping forces from the Organization of American States should be used to insure that the upcoming elections would be fair and that everyone would have a chance to participate. I've read in other places that negotiating with the rebels was hard to defend politically in El Salvador, it being considered tantamount to surrendering. Pope John Paul II's remarks during his visit there may have made it more acceptable. Personally, I've always wondered why the United States always goes for such short-sighted military "solutions" to conflicts in foreign countries. The government that is saved isn't likely to last long, and the anti- American and communist forces are going to gain support. It's no wonder that the revolutionaries are turning to Cuba and the Soviet Union for aid; What choice do they have when they're fighting a superpower? (Not that I'm implying that there aren't genuine communists and socialists fighting.) We helped overthrow the Mossadegh government in Iran in 1953, so now we end up with a fanatical, virulently anti-American government. It was inevitable. Kenny Hirsch duke!unc!kh kh.unc@UDel-Relay Chapel Hill, N.C.