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My Marine warrant officer friend who has been deployed to Afghanistan says the word in the military leadership is that it will take 10 years for “victory” given our current strategy and our prevailing definition of victory. My point to him has been that just because we have a defensible reason–even a good one–to be in Afghanistan, that doesn’t mean we have a chance to impose our will there.
It concerns me that the media is engaging in its usual form of warmongering. They are making a very big deal of the Taliban’s/insurgents’ relationships with opium growers and distributors. Fair enough. But only if they note that our allies-of -the-day are profiting from the drug trade as well.
Seems great minds think alike, Marc. I had just posted this in the Joe shmo blog that got derailed onto Afg. ( I just couldnt remember Hoh’s name):
# Anna Churchill Says:
October 29th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
That former military guy who was on a civilian mission in Afghan who just resigned summed up the situation nicely. As has the guy who should have gotten the Nobel for setting up girls schools throughout Afghanistan. The Pentagon has had him round to try and figure out how to learn from doing something humane and strategic that weans people off dependency of war.
Whats needed is a Marshall Plan of sorts. Someone else put that forward, too. Can’t remember who. Rather than all the stupid money, death and bluster on trying to nail jelly to a wall both Iraq –particularly Iraq was desperate to just have a sane civil infrastructure built–and Iran as well. The huge flood of militants that gained traction from all the stupid blunders, insults and wanton violence committed by the US military could have been avoided.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
My Marine warrant officer friend who has been deployed to Afghanistan says the word in the military leadership is that it will take 10 years for “victory” given our current strategy and our prevailing definition of victory. My point to him has been that just because we have a defensible reason–even a good one–to be in Afghanistan, that doesn’t mean we have a chance to impose our will there.
It concerns me that the media is engaging in its usual form of warmongering. They are making a very big deal of the Taliban’s/insurgents’ relationships with opium growers and distributors. Fair enough. But only if they note that our allies-of -the-day are profiting from the drug trade as well.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Seems great minds think alike, Marc. I had just posted this in the Joe shmo blog that got derailed onto Afg. ( I just couldnt remember Hoh’s name):
# Anna Churchill Says:
October 29th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
That former military guy who was on a civilian mission in Afghan who just resigned summed up the situation nicely. As has the guy who should have gotten the Nobel for setting up girls schools throughout Afghanistan. The Pentagon has had him round to try and figure out how to learn from doing something humane and strategic that weans people off dependency of war.
Whats needed is a Marshall Plan of sorts. Someone else put that forward, too. Can’t remember who. Rather than all the stupid money, death and bluster on trying to nail jelly to a wall both Iraq –particularly Iraq was desperate to just have a sane civil infrastructure built–and Iran as well. The huge flood of militants that gained traction from all the stupid blunders, insults and wanton violence committed by the US military could have been avoided.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I met Afghanistan not Iran. Oops
( We deposed a sane gov’t in Iran already)
October 30th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html?_r=2
YES! Yes. Yes. Yes.