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To Talk or Walk in Afghanistan - Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles
Amongst the furore generated by Gen. McChrystal's slagging off of his bosses and colleagues in Rolling Stone Magazine, everyone seems to have missed the fact that Britain's highest representative to the AfPak party has resigned.
It seems Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British government's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, resigned over differences concerning talks with the Taliban.
While insisting Britain should support the US, he was quoted as saying in the Canard Enchaîné: "We should tell them that we want to be part of a winning strategy, not a losing one." The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said his remarks had been distorted.
As for the Washington Post:
He had pushed for a political solution in Afghanistan and for higher priority to be given to talks with the Taliban and other insurgent groups, while expressing skepticism that increased military force could prevail.
Quite a few officials in Afghanistan have said Sir Sherard did not see eye-to-eye with Ambassador Holbrooke, the NATO representative Mark Sedwill or Gen. McCrystal.
"Cowper-Coles has been more downbeat, warning that the current battle in Afghanistan was "a civil war" and that the international community had "backed the wrong side", according to one non-British diplomat.
"He had increasingly come to believe that "sod-all can be done" about turning round the fortunes of the nine-year war, a top diplomat said, and is believed to have pushed strongly for the withdrawal of British troops as soon as possible."
I heard Sir Sherhard speak at a dinner organised by the Pakistan Society in London a couple of weeks back. He didn't say anything telling in terms of policy, but it was easy to see from what he said and how he said it that he had figured out exactly how to strike a chord with the kind of people who run Pakistan. I'm not qualified to speak about Afghanistan policy, but Sir Sherard seems like the kind of official I'd want to listen to.
Now that everyone has been
Now that everyone has been told that Afghanistan has a trillion in mineral wealth......
Think it is time for the US to bail out.....
Afghans were not impressed with Alexandar the Great or the Russians. They think that the Americans whimped out in the 80's. Not too happy with the US now.......
Time to see what the Afghans think of China when the Chinese expand their existing mining operations.
"Dispatching 150,000 troops
"Dispatching 150,000 troops to build new schools, roads, mosques and water-treatment facilities around Kandahar is like trying to stop the drug war in Mexico by occupying Arkansas and building Baptist churches in Little Rock. "
from "The Runaway General"
let the Chinese handle
let the Chinese handle Afghanistan now. Hands off.
Guess the brits got the
Guess the brits got the memo....now everbody....RUN FOR THA' CHOPPAH!
from "the Runaway
from "the Runaway General"
"I'd rather have my ass kicked by a roomful of people than go out to this dinner," McChrystal says.
He pauses a beat.
"Unfortunately," he adds, "no one in this room could do it."
With that, he's out the door.
"Who's he going to dinner with?" I ask one of his aides.
"Some French minister," the aide tells me. "It's fucking gay."
Londonstani--I'd seen that
Londonstani--I'd seen that (thanks to the RSS feed) but don't know much about him. The AFP story I read, here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iGTp75IyvLaF5BN6lUThV... though suggests that he's taking leave for the summer. I understand everyone needs to take a few weeks off in summer but I wondered what the implications of this would be. Anyway, something to keep an eye on.
I must admit it is very
I must admit it is very strange for an Irishman serving in HM Forces and having an MA in War studies to watch the current situation unfolding in Afghanistan. On one side I am seeing the tactical level with the military and all the issues that it brings, yet with the research done for the MA I have investigated the Afghan situation from other angles.
Scarily we seem to making similar mistakes that were made by the Russians, the Americans in Vietnam and the Brits in Aden. Yet history has shown us that this can be done, but it is going to take a hell of a lot of money and time. Unfortunately the driving force behind the success was actually the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos and a very clever use of British advisors, seconded troops and wealth.
By rapidly removing the political issues, using oil spot tactics to deal with the situation, limiting the Insurgents influence, as well as offering the insurgents amnesty and paying them to fight for him, he quickly regained control, though even then the insurgency continued for at least another 6 years.
I'm not suggesting it is going to be easy, but considering we have been trying the defeat them kinetically for 9 years, maybe talking to the less fundalmentalist elements is not such bad idea after all. Afterall, even if we can stop them fighting us, it is a start. If they fight with us, even better.
a random Irishman
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