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Sunday Afghanistan Roundup
I spent yesterday driving around the West Bank with some friends -- I'm sorry to say the famous kunafeh at al-Quds in Nablus was not, I did not think, as good as that at Sea Sweet in Lebanon -- and then going to the beach at Herzliya, so I apologize for not posting. In between tourist activities, I have actually been researching and writing quite a bit.
Anyway, there has been a lot of good Afghanistan commentary and analysis lately, so I'm going to link to some of it. Not all of these analysts are Afghanistan or military specialists, but that does not mean that they cannot ask the tough, relevant questions that I feel are on the minds of a lot of Americans -- particularly those within the administration -- these days. So...
The beaches in Herzliya are
The beaches in Herzliya are pretty gorgeous. Same usually goes for their clientele
Ditto. I've been to the
Ditto. I've been to the beach at Herzliya. Though I refrain from making comments about the scenery that might suggest Ex is in fact a very very attractive man...
Im really really looking
Im really really looking forward to your assessment of the cureent Is/Pal situation, following Israels quiet declaration of war against Obama.
Why do I have the nagging
Why do I have the nagging suspicion that Coinistas are going to be thrown under the bus on Afghanistan?
So Frank Rich thinks that
So Frank Rich thinks that Obama is Kennedyesque and Grady thinks that this is Obama's FDR moment. I hope that he can continue milking the political capital of former Presidents. This is good analysis of the Afghanistan issue? More like the standard Obama worship that we get from the pundits every week, in which their faith in the President substitutes for any rational thought on the matters. I mean, c'mon. I have a lot of faith in Tom Brady. But until he puts the ball in the end zone, I don't just keep singing his praises and declaring that he will find a way to bring us another trophy.
Wondering who "some friends"
Wondering who "some friends" are. Fatah or Hamas?
While you stomp around with Palestinian terrorists, I wonder why it is that you ignore the elephant in the room that is Islamic human nature. Does COIN have its place? Sure. Will it work in countries of people who do not believe in borders, and whose objective (according to the Koran) is to die in jihad? HELL NO!
Surely you understand this since you spent so much of your time in their countries. So why do you push something down the throats of our troops that is destined to fail? Back when words meant something, providing aid and comfort (such as proponing strategy that clearly will not work) to our enemies was treason.
Your blog's title literally
Your blog's title literally means "father of the (Islamic) resistance" - If some American had a newsletter called "Hot for the Third Reich" during WWII, it is likely he wouldn't be around for long.
Mike Innes must like more than just the tickler on the chin to call you a "very, very attractive man."
No, it's just "Mike Innes"
No, it's just "Mike Innes" is a web pseudonym of Rachel Maddow...
Schlep, I back the Muqawama.
Schlep, I back the Muqawama. Don't you? We need to back the resistance of orthodox traditional practicing muslims against the Takfiri extremists who dare to try (unsuccessfully I might add) to blaspheme and pervert the honorable Islamic faith.
"UN's Bullshit anti-semitic
"UN's Bullshit anti-semitic games...it's a mad dictator's VIP lounge."
Cool. Israels foreign minister declared Norway and Sweden official anti-semitic countries a month back. Because we do not sensor free speech and do not bow our heads to anyone. If Bibi decides the fate of the UN on behalf of the US, then perhaps y`all should seceed and form the US/Israeli coalition.
And perhaps we all could go home and watch y`all fight the Al Quaeda on your own????
PS: Let me give you an
PS: Let me give you an example of Israeli irritance from a norwegian pov: Their embassy is situated right behind the kings castle. As opposed to the US embassy, they have refused moving because that would slight their dignity. Thereby they set our royal family in danger through their wars. Thats a deep grievance here in Norway, where we love our king almost as much as in Thailand. As opposed to Sweden.
Why so serious? OK I back
Why so serious?
OK I back the Muqawama as well..well said Anan.
(after we beat the Takfiri we are really going to have a conversation with our new buddies on female genital mutilation and the rest...but that's for a later day).
Schelp the "resistance" he refers to being the father of (it's a joke BTW) is that of the COINstas against the Old Mustache Pete's of the Conventionally minded Army.
Mind you these days he's part of the Establishment, posh DC gig and all.
If I could suggest a little reading list of my own on the entire Muslim/Takfiri issue...
The Islamist by Ed Husein.
The Caged Virgin and Infidel by Ayyan Hirsi Ali. (AM actual if you haven't read her, you need to....I sometimes wonder if you know who you are running around with).
In fact while AM won't debate it..and seldom refers to it...it's a central question that needs answering. Who are we fighting, and why are they fighting, and what are their goals. Andrew (if I may) frequently infers or alludes to political motives or possibly economic or tribal ones, but the 8000 pound elephant in the drawing room is basically ignored.
It gets slugged out in the comments section.
While riding on your
While riding on your round-up, I came across some further reading suggested in comments at the New Yorker article. A retired special forces Afghan hand who freelances for Soldier of Fortune (among others), Mr. Avallone's piece (penned in summer '08) isn't the BlackFive rant I anticipated -- it instead struck me as the rather realist rant that you might hear from the guy on the next stool while you're waiting for a clerk down at the auto parts place. Worth your Sunday leisure reading.
http://www.americandailyreview.com/crime-terrorism/2009/5/2/flirting-wit...
Cordially,
Dwight Whayle
I am a civilian with much
I am a civilian with much less knowledge about military affairs than the majority of people who post on your site. But I do have a son who will be deploying to Iraq in January and try to keep up with information about both Iraq and Afghanistan. I just want to say that I am a huge fan of Secretary Gates. I read his comments on Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq today and I believe he is one of the few people who trusts us enough to speak the truth about issues, without much regard for political party. I am so very thankful that he is our secretary of defense and so thankful it is not Donald Rumsfeld. I also believe he cares about "the troops" with every fiber of his being, and makes decisions based on what he believes is best for those who are fighting, and for the country.
"I believe he is one of the
"I believe he is one of the few people who trusts us enough to speak the truth about issues, without much regard for political party. I am so very thankful that he is our secretary of defense and so thankful it is not Donald Rumsfeld. I also believe he cares about "the troops" with every fiber of his being, and makes decisions based on what he believes is best for those who are fighting, and for the country." I couldn't agree more. Visitor, please thank your son on our behalf for his service.
D Whayle: That was a ver
D Whayle: That was a ver interesting link. T Y.
Seems like crazy talk is the
Seems like crazy talk is the name of the game in comments section, what is up with that AM?
Visitor @ 7:47PM wrote: "I
Visitor @ 7:47PM wrote:
"I am a civilian with much less knowledge about military affairs than the majority of people who post on your site."
I laughed when I read that.
For someone who has said
For someone who has said previously that they have only spent 8 days in Israel sure seams to be spending a lot of time there. The West Bank may be under Palistinian control but it is still part of Israel. From what I have heard on the news I would not want to go anywhere near the West Bank or any of the Palistinian controlled parts of the region. Hamas has said repeatedly that they would like to wipe Israel of the map. And it's not just Hamas. It's every country in the region particularly Iran. (Which I might mention has the technical ability to make nuclear warheads and put them on missiles.) So for someone who claims to have held the rank of captain (after obtaining said rank a full 8 months before the law allows) and a U.S citizen why are you spending so much time in a place you've said you've only spent 8 days at? And of the time you've spent in that area why have you spent it with those who seek to destroy America and Israel? Why spend time with those who say America is the "Great Satan" and Israel is the "Little Satan?" Do you not love freedom that you swore an oath to defend? I think you're better suited as a diplomat for Hamas.
Are Tenneseans allowed to
Are Tenneseans allowed to use the "Israeli only" roads in the West Bank?
How foul was the stench of American subsidized apartheid?
What the hell's a
What the hell's a "Palistinian"?
The comments just get better
The comments just get better and better. AM, you imperialist / anti-imperialist dog! Stop hanging out with Islamic terrorists / Zionist racists! (And try to see a doctor about this bi-polar thing you seem to be developing -- it must be very confusing...)
Comment by Fred on September
Comment by Fred on September 28, 2009 - 1:14am
"So for someone who claims to have held the rank of captain (after obtaining said rank a full 8 months before the law allows) and a U.S citizen why are you spending so much time in a place you've said you've only spent 8 days at?"
Astounding. I'm confident could take a belt sander to your legs and you still wouldn't be able to come up with a plausible story for what this is supposed to say/mean/relate to.
Although I'm absolutely intrigued as to what kind of emergency-situation duress you were posting under that an entire 3rd second of thought couldn't be wasted on forming a thought before posting it.
Fred, you're retarded. Work through it somewhere else.
I want to understand all of
I want to understand all of this before the Dan Brown novel about CNAS come out. According to some on here Andrew is a Zionist, who may hate or love Isreal, who is friends with Hamas & Hezbollah or maybe just Hezbollah. He is a former Army Ranger who doesn't care about the American soldiers, pals around with terrorists and just spent sometime in the terrorist hotbed of Paris. He also enjoys long walks on the beach & kunafeh. Also, CNAS is a combination of Skull and Bones and the Trilateral Commission. Andrew do you have the skull of Geronimo on your desk as a paper weight & where do the Masons fit in on the CNAS org chart.
Yes, we really do need a
Yes, we really do need a chart to keep track of your nefarious affiliations -- a damn good idea!
Fred, One presumes
Fred,
One presumes that you have not read Exum's widely acclaimed book which is readily available. One also presumes that you didn't know that promotions (2LT to 1LT, and 1LT to CPT) have been accelerated these past 8 years since we started fighting, since you are under some sort of misguided math delusion about Exum's promotions. (Yes, when *I* first started wearing OG 107s back in the mid-80s, it was 2 years to 1LT and then two more to CPT, with a further delay based upon where you were on the promotion list...but that went out the window when the shooting started, as such formulas often do.) These things are understandable, even if they do not speak well of you.
But the bottom line is that Exum is doing that which you, apparently, don't even see the need to consider. He is not relying upon the filter of somebody else's observations or an editor's choices about what constitutes "news," as you do from your comfortably domestic position. He is, as any good scout would, getting out there and seeing things for himself.
You should apply for your first passport and get out there yourself young man. Turn off the TV, buy some plane tickets, and actually see the world as it is, out there where we in the service have to live it...beyond America's comfortable borders. You may find that your paranoia may narrow even as your mind expands.
Bob Bateman
Visitor on September 27,
Visitor on September 27, 2009 - 6:09pm
"Islamic human nature" as different from what? Do you mean to say that those who follow the Islamic faith aren't humans like you? My understanding of human nature differs from yours.
A definition of human nature that makes sense to me: "Human nature is the concept that there are a set of characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that all 'normal' human beings have in common."
A definition of culture that makes sense to me: "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a 'racial', religious, or social group." Because infants from one form of social culture do not repeat the characteristics of their birth culture if for some reason they are not brought up in that culture, it is understood that those characteristics are learned behaviors, not something unchangeable each person is born with. All humans exhibit characteristics of culture, that is part of human nature. The forms in which culture are expressed are what vary.
As I state here, I disagree with the opinions you have about human nature. I also disagree with you about the nature of Islam. There are a variety of Islamic cultures. From what I understand of those cultures, they are not by nature 'terrorists'. People within each have extreme attitudes about those different from themselves. To me, it seems to be the same attitude as yours, and is one I don't share.
Oooh the West Bank, full of
Oooh the West Bank, full of evil, scary Palestinians and nutty settlers. Watch out AM they'll turn you into a suicide bomber or a Zionist defender of the one true biblical homeland . It is amazing how the nutters come out of the woodwork with any mention of Israel/ Palastine. Those sweets look nice, look kind of similar to Indian/ Pakistani sweets. I personally recommend Gulab Jaman from a good Indian sweet shop- mmmm nice.
Dwight Whayle - Thank you
Dwight Whayle - Thank you for the link to an interesting article.
@Margaret, Yes on Human
@Margaret,
Yes on Human nature but you may want to read "The Caged Virgin" or "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Or you could just google "female genital mutilation" or "vaginal fistulas" and see if your mind expands, or narrows...
RE: "Or you could just
RE: "Or you could just google "female genital mutilation" or "vaginal fistulas""
"Female Genital Mutilation" is a cultural phenom, not a religious one. Which also applies to honor killings.
Elf - the other day we had a
Elf - the other day we had a medical student - who is visiting us from another institution - give a, well, disturing talk on female genital mutilation. Physicians in the States see these cases with increasing frequency and we have to be familiar, sadly, with the practice.
I think it is important to note that female genital mutilation is performed in many places around the world and by practitioners of different religions. In many cases, the practices predate the appearance of certain religions such as Islam. It is a brutal practice, no doubt. The photos accompanying the talk were difficult to look at and we are not exactly a crowd that is unused to seeing sometimes brutal photographs. I am trained as a pathologist.
I wonder what AM thinks
I wonder what AM thinks about Steve Walt's recent post on the foreign policy magazine site regarding the Brooks article he linked to:
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/09/25/david_brooks_on_afghanist...
He pretty much calls David Brooks a little b*tch. Then he gets trolled for questioning Israel in an earlier unrelated book, seems like somethings don't change.
Elf, Try this
Elf,
Try this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Love_%28novel%29
@ Elf: This is really Mike
@ Elf:
This is really Mike Innes here.
Rachel Maddow? Puh-lease.
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