Gaza War Analysis
On February 2, 2009 Cordesman published an analysis of the war in Gaza. The report relied on Israeli briefings before and after the conflict, including visits to the Israeli Defense Spokesman, interviews with Arab officials, and experts. The report analyzes the views and reactions of Arabs, but emphasized that Hamas has not provided more than "minimal details on the fighting, other than ideological and propaganda statements".
Cordesman points out improvements in the capability of the Israeli Defense Forces since the fighting against Hezbollah in 2006. He believes the military used "decisive force" against legitimate military objectives, in spite of their very real humanitarian cost.
Cordesman's analysis also claimed that Israel did not violate the laws of war. In an article in CounterPunch, Norman Finkelstein said that this assumption lacked credibility because it relied solely on information from Israeli Ministry of Defense press releases whilst ignoring information that was readily available from the United Nations, NGOs and News reports.
Read more about this topic: Anthony Cordesman
Famous quotes containing the words war and/or analysis:
“A sergeant of the lawe, war and wys,
That often hadde been at the Parvys,
Ther was also, ful riche of excellence.”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?–1400)
“Analysis as an instrument of enlightenment and civilization is good, in so far as it shatters absurd convictions, acts as a solvent upon natural prejudices, and undermines authority; good, in other words, in that it sets free, refines, humanizes, makes slaves ripe for freedom. But it is bad, very bad, in so far as it stands in the way of action, cannot shape the vital forces, maims life at its roots. Analysis can be a very unappetizing affair, as much so as death.”
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955)