Abu Muqawama: Post
Abu Muqawama retains its autonomy and the views and beliefs expressed within the blog do not reflect those of CNAS. Abu Muqawama retains the right to delete comments that include words that incite violence; are predatory, hateful, or intended to intimidate or harass; or degrade people on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In summary, don't be a jerk.
Woodward, Barno and Some Other Guy on Afghanistan
A few months ago, LTG (Ret.) Dave Barno and I sat down to try and figure out how the U.S. military and its NATO allies might transition from a counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan to something less resource-intensive between July 2011, when the president envisions U.S. troops beginning a withdrawal, and 2014, when Hamid Karzai wants the government of Afghanistan to have full sovereignty over its territory. The result of our thinking is a new report that will be released this week [update: read it here] and formally rolled out next week in an event at the Newseum moderated by Bob Woodward. The purpose of this post is to get you all to sign up for the event, which you can do by following the link. (Act now: we already have 300+ RSVPs.)
I am actually in Afghanistan myself at the moment, traveling around the country speaking with U.S. and allied military officers, Afghan politicians and military officers, locally based journalists, civilian researchers, NGO representatives, and many others. (As usual, plenty of people on my travels thus far have stopped me to introduce themselves and say how much they enjoy this blog, which is humbling and appreciated.) I am scheduled to arrive back in the United States about eight hours before the event, so my beard will be long, my hair unkempt, and my observations fresh. Please join us.
[For those who will not be able to make the event, I will write several long blog posts on my observations here between now and Christmas.]
So you've been hired to give
So you've been hired to give advice on how to undo the damage your previous advice enabled? Great job.
Well it looks like Americans
Well it looks like Americans are adapting (or adopting depending how you look at it).
For some reason I do not think your approach will limit Afghanistan from the list of state welfare the the United States pays out each year. The State Welfare list is getting pretty long these days (Columbia, Mexico, Pakistan, Iraq, Isreal, Afghanistan, Egypt, South Korean, All the Soviet era countries that we give aid to, and the Stage_stans (the places we stage our troops for Afghanistan)). All this baggage the US carries in a world that has grown up with countries whose economies are now going faster than the US. Americans have off-shored our jobs, technology, and live style, but kept the cold war debts.
I look at the politics in the Middle East and South Asia and shake my head. US allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have organizations who are helping the people the United States is fighting in Afghanistan. I think of all the American dollars that are pumped into Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that end up in the AQ fight with the only option the US countering with more aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Seems to me that the United States is shooting itself in the foot.
Just in the past year. US sold military jets to Saudi Arabia. Irael took this as a military threat so the US ended up offering F35 fighters as a deal to "slow" building in Palestinian lands. So what do you think the Palestinian felt about all the military aid we gave to Israel? Hillary Clinton tossed in a few $100 million to make the Palestinians feel better. To sweeten the Palestian deal Hillary offers up immigration of a few thousand Palestians to the US. Has the US figured out where to put the 12 million illegal immigrants on the CONUS? How is Detroit, MI doing with its IRAQ immigrant population? How many Iraqi Christians are going to leave the new democratic Iraq? Meanwhile Egypt is starting to think they are getting jipped on the BILLION or so in military aid that we give them each year and want more. How much reconstruction money has been skimmed off of the aid the US has given Afghanistan? The 30 million or so a month we pay the Afghan Police force. I will not even start in on the rest of the world. It all becomes a cricle jerk after a while. Mexico and Columbia drug wars. Why not stop the consumption in the US? What are Americans hiding from if they have to take so many drugs?
Hillary and Obama taut themselves as Foreign Policy heros. Foreign Policy is damn easy if all you do is give money away. Israel diplomats likened Obama to "rain" cause there is always something they can do to avoid his policy.
United States foreign policy is more carrot than stick. US just gets deeper and deeper into the commitments that it has carried for years. When will it stop? Does the US have to go bankrupt before it wises up? The US is the problem.
Maybe it is time to let the children grow up learning the value of the dollar rather than just giving money away. Wise up to the fact that the Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are playing the US for more money, they prick the US and it bleeds green.
Rather than pouring aid into Afghanstan, why not stop the Money coming from the Middle East that is funding AQ. Stop Pakistan from playing in Afghanistan's business. Stop Iran from getting into Afghanistan's politics. After these influences are removed, the US can work with the local governments to determine the level of activity the US has in the area. Think about it, is the US presence in the area part of the problem? The US does not have to be the first provider choice. Enough money has been skimmed from Afghanistan and sitting in Dubai to give Afghanistan a good beginning.
How you stop it. Stop giving the players money. Let them buy their own weapons and food.
Find out what they want they need the most.
What America needs the most, is to get out of the foriegn aid business (Don't agree, the commission to reduce the defict either.)..
Sorry, I will not make it to your Washington meeting. Let these people have their country back, Afghanistan is not the problem.
Don't forget to invite Andrew
Don't forget to invite Andrew Bacevich to point out the obvious flaws in your new plan.
Please read Amy's Monograph
Please read Amy's Monograph at www.c4ads.org, " Kabul in the Middle", the strategic context may be useful. You might want to expand your travels.
Keep telling yourself you are
Keep telling yourself you are awesome. But how many of those "humbling" comments were actually delivered in English?
@ Visitor 9:15 That is quite
@ Visitor 9:15
That is quite a good summary monograph by Amy Levine.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the blog, Abu M.
"The Surge Worked" Debate For
"The Surge Worked" Debate
For an outstanding summation of the "The Surge Worked vs. The Surge Didn't Work" debate, check this out. This is the classic Abu Muqawama vs. Tom Ricks beef, with new insights for 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSyY8sWBsSQ
And please don't forget the
And please don't forget the next fraudulent Afghan Presidential Election is scheduled for 2014 so the last 'combat" troops in country should be near Kabul for the riots and sectarian battles.
the war from Afghanistan is a
the war from Afghanistan is a waste of money for us, the best solution it would be to bring the troops home. I think that our president it is not aware that we do have to in Afghanistan
Pariuri Sportive
Why not invite Russians? It's
Why not invite Russians?
It's been long enough, hasn't it? Isn't it time, in this post-Cold-War-World, to work constructively with our old allies, I mean enemies, I mean fellow inhabitants of the planet? Isn't it possible - just a little bit likely - that some Russian military officers have something to add to the discussion?
Principle: Learn from the mistakes of others.
Another hugely popular
Another hugely popular gambling game online is bingo. The game developed its popularity throughout the UK with bingo halls in every town... And has grown into a national treasure.. The game for everyone, online bingo, is now available to play wherever you may be... Mirror Bingo is one of those sites where you can not only try your hand at bingo but also win some cash prizes. Flash Slots can also be played any time; all you need is your Internet browser. If you decide to play online poker, you should consider getting PKR Bonus Code when you first deposit funds to your account. Btw, did you ever try Rummy royal rummy online games and tournament events?
Playing bingo online is becoming increasingly popular. There is now no need to go to the local bingo hall where it all began, as playing bingo from the comfort of your own home seems to be a more enjoyable experience.
Online Bingo sites such as Svenska Bingo, give you the chance to really get a true experience and also give you extra cash to try out all of the games which they offer. There are real chances to win life changing amounts of money with the excellent jackpots and bonuses, with the latter being available just for depositing money to play.
Ooooh thank you! Mainly for
Ooooh thank you! Mainly for the violence third of it. I see a game that looks cool, and I'm all, "Ooh I'll play it." Then I notice a pg13 or mature tag on it. Which makes me stop and read the review thoroughly, just in case. When it doesn't really seem to mention blood or gore at all, and I start playing... sometimes I stop and I'm like, "Ok, nevermind." I definitely appreciate this.[url=http://www.jocurile-barbie.ro ]jocuri barbie[/url]
This is getting a bit more
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
[/url] and [url= http://www.jocuricopii12.com/]jocuri pentru copii[/url]
Did you love Asteroids,
Did you love Asteroids, Missile Defender an all the good addicting fun games from space?! Protect the Earth from other species and make your way through the universe while shooting spaceships and flying saucers. Attack those Aliens in Space online games, commander![url=http://www.jocuri3d.net ]jocuri 3d[/url]
Add your comment