Martial Law In California

From Times Online November 16, 2009 Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Iraq - and aims to transfer military tactics to California Oliver August in Baghdad Arnold Schwarzenegger (Ali Al-Saadi/AFP/Getty Images) Troops stationed in Iraq didn't let Mr Schwarzenegger forget about his bodybuilding, action movie past... The governor of California trots out his most famous one-liner wherever he goes but, at the Victory military base in Baghdad today, he apparently meant it. “I’ll be back,” Arnold Schwarzenegger growled after working out with a group of American soldiers on active duty in Iraq, all with necks and trunks as thick as his. The muscleman who rose to Hollywood fame as The Terminator came to the site of America’s bloodiest war in a generation to cheer up troops, but also because there are important lessons to be learnt here. Mr Schwarzenegger said he wants to study counter-insurgency strategies developed by the US military when Iraq was on the brink of civil war, and bring them back to the mean streets of California, where criminal gangs rule entire neighbourhoods, especially in large cities. Already, police officers in some parts of the state are attempting to copy the hard-won lessons that helped to calm down the western Iraqi city of Falluja and the Triangle of Death south of Baghdad, where insurgents once reigned openly. The governor did not actually go to these places, now relatively peaceful, to see soldiers on patrol. Instead he heard about their work in the safe environs of one of the largest US bases in Iraq and shook hands with them afterwards. He also held meetings with senior commanders. The transfer of counter-insurgency tactics from the military to the police is being pioneered in the central Californian town of Salinas. Combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are already advising the local authorities on how to conduct their own “surge,” as the US counter-insurgency campaign of President Bush is known. Rather than hunting down gang leaders and arresting them, the police is told to build trust in the community that supports the gangs. Only by patiently “draining the swamp” can the leaders be eliminated. There are apparently striking similarities between Iraq and California. Many gang members and supporters see police officers as an “occupying force” similar to a foreign military presence. Like in Baghdad, there are also language problems. Officers speak English and locals often Spanish, making cooperation in criminal investigations difficult, even when citizens are willing.

Combat veterans in Salinas say they think of Sunni Iraqis when they listen to the grievances of some Latino Californians. One of them, Major James M. Few, wrote on a blog, “The frightening realisation is that I’ve walked this dog before.” Of course, some gang leaders will still be arrested. But the focus now is on social programmes and economic growth to create jobs. The “surge” tactics are a surprising legacy for the last US President, who began the war in Iraq with a “shock and awe” campaign before switching course later on. Mr Schwarzenegger is no stranger to uniformed life, having spent a year opf national service in the Austrian Army, where he drove tanks and temporarily disappeared during basic training to attend a body-building competition. He spent a week in a military jail as a result, something nobody mentioned publicly today. On a previous occasion though, the governor said, “Participating in the competition meant so much to me that I didn’t carefully think through the consequences.” Like his film persona, Mr Schwarzengger is a man who prefers firing bigs guns to winning hearts and minds, or at least tries to combine the two. One of his most treasured possessions is a vintage Austrian tank, which he had shipped to America and then gave to a museum in Ohio nine years ago. But last year he asked for it back and had it brought to California - in order to give rides to children visiting his office. In Iraq, tanks have gone out fashion.since they’re no good for fighting suicide bombers on bicycles. The American warrior culture has undergone a fundamental change since the 2003 invasion. Commanders now talk about sectarian reconciliation rather than “kill ratios”.