Afghanistan: More Troops or ‘Failure’
21 September 2009 9:02 am by Taylor Marsh
Lots happening as the United Nations General Assembly ramps up. One of those things is a photo op, disguised as a meeting, between Obama, Netanyahu and Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, which happens tomorrow. It’s very doubtful that it will mean anything substantive, according to multiple reports, no one paying much attention to it, but simply to mention it’s happening. But that’s not what’s making news today. After Pres. Obama saying yesterday that he’s “skeptical” about more troops in Afghanistan, Bob Woodward busts out with the leak of all leaks, if you’re keeping score on this issue. Unless, that is, is you believe everyone is playing the press while the Administration, using the President as well to do it, plays good cop, bad cop.
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict “will likely result in failure,” according to a copy of the 66-page document obtained by The Washington Post. … But he repeatedly warns that without more forces and the rapid implementation of a genuine counterinsurgency strategy, defeat is likely. McChrystal describes an Afghan government riddled with corruption and an international force undermined by tactics that alienate civilians. [...]
Obviously, with Woodward having the story its meant to send the message of credibility, even while it’s juxtaposed against the President’s pragmatic skepticism.
I don’t know anyone who gleefully wants an escalation in Afghanistan, including myself, even as I’ve supported Obama’s strategy so far. Karzai’s corruption, which extends widely, is a main impediment to anything we do in that country, and how we stop him is not known at this point.
Woodward’s story is golden. Remains to be seen who leaked it, beyond saying it came from someone who definitely wants to keep the mission going in Afghanistan. Not exactly a bombshell revelation.
Senior administration officials asked The Post over the weekend to withhold brief portions of the assessment that they said could compromise future operations. A declassified version of the document, with some deletions made at the government’s request, appears at washingtonpost.com.
McChrystal makes clear that his call for more forces is predicated on the adoption of a strategy in which troops emphasize protecting Afghans rather than killing insurgents or controlling territory. Most starkly, he says: “[I]nadequate resources will likely result in failure. However, without a new strategy, the mission should not be resourced.”
