Comments on: Why we are losing Afghanistan

By: Herschel Smith

Herschel Smith — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:32:36 +0000

Well, first of all, I see no need per se for democracy, if in fact proper governance can be achieved through other forms. The goal should not be to install democracies across the globe if another system can work.

But as for negotiating with the Taliban, TCJ is very much opposed to that. The Taliban are the ones who were in charge giving safe haven to AQ prior to 9/11. They gave safe haven because of the similarity of their world views, i.e., militant, religious radicalism, forcing itself upon others across the globe.

If you wish to stand down, you may as well just retreat rather than negotiate; negotiations will achieve nothing advantageous to the U.S. We don’t need to force a Western outlook on AStan. We need to kill the militant radicals.

It’s possible to have a Muslim country, even one that is impoverished, without the religious radicals. Bangladesh proves my point.

By: arion

arion — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:06:11 +0000

In Afghanistan we are backing a cocker spaniel against two Rottweilers; the Taliban and the Warlords. The relatively Westernized population in Kabul has neither fighting strength not popularity with the larger populace. Fundamentalist Islam is congenial to the people, as is the millennia-old culture of warlord/tribal rule. There is no way we can force a more Western outlook on the people. And so long as we can’t, the troop levels and esprit do corps of the Taliban and the warlords are self-sustaining.
So the best we can do is maintain Kabul as an armed outpost in a hostile country for the next ten or fifty years. Myself, i would rather see us negotiate with the Taliban. While they hate the West they are more amenable to change and the rule of law than the warlords.

By: Gary in Kabul

Gary in Kabul — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:09:05 +0000

Mr. Smith: Excellent point that more troops are needed for security. At the same time it is the current actions of rebuilding infrastructure and establishing government and legal institutions that win insurgencies. Again, a few unwashed criminals can make life difficult for a populace but they will never stop progress here in Afghanistan. Whether you wear a “happy hat” or not, please recognize the efforts of so many nations to make this experiment work. There is no other alternative for this part of the world. Best Regards,

By: Herschel Smith

Herschel Smith — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:24:05 +0000

Gary, thanks for your input. Andrew Lubin (who was in AStan all of June) and Michael Fumento (who has been there) wrote me today and concurred with my article completely. Generals don’t demand more troops for campaigns that are going just swimmingly. Remember, Gary. This isn’t about politics, or withdrawal, or standing down. Truth-telling in this case means more force projection. With the outgoing General (McNeill) stating that Afghanistan is an under-resourced campaign, and the current command pleading for more troops, why wouldn’t we oblige?

Also, I am not concerned about small attacks here and there. That isn’t the point. The point – according the FM 3-24 and our experience in OIF – is provision of security for the population. This is the true benchmark.

Finally, I am not a wearer of “happy hats.” I am a truth-teller, whether it involves telling the world that the campaign for Anbar was the most successful and remarkable COIN campaign in history, or that we don’t have enough troops in AStan.

By: Gary in Kabul

Gary in Kabul — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:13:54 +0000

Mr Smith: I hate to burst your bubble but Afghanistan is being won and not lost. Spend some time here and see for yourself that life for the ordinary Afghan is a struggle but getting better each day. The Taliban are not as numerous as claimed by the press, nor are they as feared. Taliban is another word for a fanatic criminal type with no ambition but death and destruction. Their latest assaults on Kabul and other areas in the country have failed miserably as have their attempts to gain support from the locals. The “big rocket” attack consisted of two feeble weapons pointed at the airport that exploded in vacant fields and hurt noone. Put on your happy hat and join us in the big task of helping to forge a new nation from the ashes of war and destruction. Best Regards,

By: Warbucks

Warbucks — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:56:34 +0000

Pervez Musharraf has resigned as President of Pakistan. What seems likely to follow in Pakistan in the void created by Musharraf’s departure is an internal spiritual struggle for the hearts and minds of Pakistani’s between the forces of constitutional law and order against religious zealotry of Islamic fundamentalists to establish their nuclear-bomb-powered base of operations. Never before has there existed such potential for clarity one way or the other, for the outside world.

Pakistan will discover that it can no longer play the coy innocent. It’s commitment to law and order will be tested as never before. It’s own nuclear power will prove to be it’s worst nightmare in diplomacy. The western world will demand it clean its own smelly swamp or they will do it for them.