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2009-03-21 Afghanistan

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Posted by Steve White 2009-03-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 Very insightful assessment. Most interesting how Obama is hoist on his own petard. I was always of a mind that it would take a generation at least to assess the significance of Iraq because we are too close to the events to give it a proper perspective. But it seems that in the midst of all of his domestic mess, the moderate derision with which Obama is beginning to be held will in time infect his foreign adventures and assessments. The considered world view of Bush and Iraq may still take a long time but the contrasts are so striking just 7 weeks into the new administration that I am now waiting for the first opponent of the Iraq adventure to begin to offer a more balanced view.

Posted by Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 2009-03-21 02:08|| 2009-03-21 02:08|| Front Page Top

#2 I wonder what the current and recently retired senior Army officers who hated Rumsfeld (and did what they could to oppose the administration as a result) are thinking right about now.

Posted by lotp 2009-03-21 06:44|| 2009-03-21 06:44|| Front Page Top

#3 It should have taken no great literacy in the theories and the history of "state-building" to foresee the favorable endowments of Iraq and the built-in disadvantages of Afghanistan.

The Prophet Ajami might take a moment to point to his own published views to this effect. Provided they were in fact published several years ago. Otherwise, my 20/20 hindsight needs no instruction from his.

Posted by Excalibur 2009-03-21 07:45|| 2009-03-21 07:45|| Front Page Top

#4 Afghanistan was the good war of necessity whereas Iraq was the war of "choice" in the wrong place

Iraq was indeed the war of "choice', but it was chosen because it was in the RIGHT place, as opposed to a logistical nightmare like A'stan. The enemy was and is the same - militant Islam - which makes it a good and necessary war regardless of the ground it is fought on.

Posted by Glenmore 2009-03-21 09:46|| 2009-03-21 09:46|| Front Page Top

#5 The decision on Iraq must wait for many years. If it becomes a reasonably stable and prosperous democratic state the key question arises.

Will Iraq, as forseen above, become the cancer that will destroy the tyrants of the Middle East?

Posted by AlanC 2009-03-21 10:13|| 2009-03-21 10:13|| Front Page Top

#6 Will Iraq, as forseen above, become the cancer that will destroy the tyrants of the Middle East?

Gawd, I hope so.

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2009-03-21 12:12|| 2009-03-21 12:12|| Front Page Top

#7 Ajami has been all over the map with his pontifications, most of which are about as relevant as Amidinnerjacket's. I gave up reading him years ago. The truth is, there were dozens of good reasons to go into both Afghanistan and Iraq. The problem in Afghanistan isn't so much what Ajami wails about, but the constant interference and even open war by the Pakistanis against anyone they see disturbing their "special relationship" with Afghanistan - that of master to slave. By providing sanctuary to the taliban in the Tribal Areas, Pakistan should have lost any support they had from the West, and been eliminated as a political entity. The West won't be successful in Afghanistan until that's done. George Bush didn't have the force of character to do that job, and Obambi is a narcissistic deer in the headlights. Hillary is just a power-hungry egomaniac. The next four years are going to be "interesting times" for our military. Keep 'em in your prayers - they're gonna need 'em.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2009-03-21 15:03|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2009-03-21 15:03|| Front Page Top

#8 George Bush didn't have the force of character to do that job

President Bush didn't have the troops or the equipment for two wars at the same time, Old Patriot. He only made what he had do the trick for one war and a holding situation by rotating the troops through the battlefield entirely more often, and for longer durations, than was advisable, while upsizing the Armed Forces as quickly as Congress would allow. George W. Bush has many faults, but lack of character is not one of them.

Posted by trailing wife 2009-03-21 16:06|| 2009-03-21 16:06|| Front Page Top

#9 Unfortunately, Pakistan is required as a supply route for NATO forces. If Obama is serious about increasing the Afghan security forces to 400,000, things will turn around in Afghanistan as they did in Iraq.

Posted by Apostate 2009-03-21 19:05|| 2009-03-21 19:05|| Front Page Top

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