Looking at Hezbollah’s reaction to the Winograd report harshly criticizing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli officials for the conduct of last summer’s war (they claim it proves Hezbollah won, which it doesn’t), I’m reminded of this observation:
A closed society conveys the impression of order and discipline; an open society, buffeted by the crosswinds of reality and rumor, criticism and revelation, conveys the impression of disorder, chaos and uncertainty, but this impression can be misleading.
Indeed. Which is one reason Israel’s enemies have confidently predicted its imminent demise for the past 59 years or so. What they fail to grasp is that countries which publicly air their mistakes and failures are stronger than those who put on great shows of lockstep, unquestioning unity, and who win the awed admiration of “leftwing” power worshippers.
Update: You can read the main findings of the interim report here (a full report will be released later). Many of the deficiencies cited by the report– in foresight, preparedness, creativity and adaptability– were obvious at the time.
