The reports yesterday of the alleged death of Osama bin Laden and of the differing views of the intelligence services and the President bring to mind some historical parallels that the President ignores at his peril. Both historical parallels have to do with thinking victory is assured by the destruction of the leadership of an opponent.
The earliest is the Ten Thousand of Greek history. Greek mercenaries were serving under Cyrus of Persia when he was killed in battle. The victors slew the Greek generals thinking they would demoralize the Greek soldiers. The Greeks elected new generals and fought their way from the Tigris River to the Black Sea, "fighting there way on foot, day by day for five months, through two thousand miles of enemy country, across hot and foodless plains, and over perilous mountain passes covered with eight feet of snow, while armies and guerrilla bands attacked them in the rear and in front and on either flank, and hostile natives used every device to kill them, mislead them, or bar their way." (1)
A more recent is the French Resistance, an uprising not led by the generals and politicians in exile, but ordinary people from all walks of life and many political persuasions. The Germans killed many resisters and their leaders, but the resistance just grew. I made a comparison of the the French Resistance and the Iraqi Resistance in "Occupation déja vu", an article in the Reader Weekly of Duluth.
(1) The Life of Greece, Will Durant, p. 460
