Petraeus Sets Bar High with Iraq Turnaround
Journalists: Jim Michaels, Tom Vanden Brook
Original Post: Petraeus Sets Bar High with Iraq Turnaround
Type: News Article
June 23, 2010 — President Obama on Wednesday placed his hopes for the future of the war in Afghanistan on the same man — Gen. David Petraeus— who helped turned around the Iraq war for Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush.
Shortly after he accepted the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Obama named Petraeus as McChrystal's successor.
Petraeus, the chief of Central Command, is widely credited with turning the tide of the war in Iraq with a counterinsurgency strategy he authored. As Obama's third top commander in Afghanistan, he will be expected to repeat his Iraq success.
"This is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy," Obama said Wednesday in a Rose Garden appearance.
Reaction from the Senate, which must confirm Petraeus, was quick and enthusiastic. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the Armed Services Committee he leads will conduct hearings by Tuesday. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the panel's top Republican, said Petraeus' confirmation could be "probably the fastest in the history of the Armed Services Committee."
McChrystal offered his resignation after he was summoned back to Washington explain his comments in a story in Rolling Stone magazine in which he and his aides criticized Vice President Biden, special envoy Richard Holbrooke, national security adviser Jim Jones and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry.
Obama said he accepted McChrystal's resignation because his conduct "undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system."
McCain agreed. "You not only obey civilian leadership, but you respect civilian leadership; and if you don't, you resign," he said.
Obama picked McChrystal in May 2009 after he relieved the previous commander, Gen. David McKiernan. Obama also agreed to McChrystal's call to send 30,000 more troops and endorsed his counterinsurgency strategy against the Taliban.
Petraeus will likely prosecute the war as McChrystal did, said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., also a member of the Armed Services committee. Reed noted that Petraeus was deeply involved in crafting the strategy last fall.
However long the confirmation process takes, Petraeus will "effectively be in command as we speak," Reed said. As head of Central Command, Petraeus oversees the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
By picking Petraeus, Obama has shown he's sticking with the current strategy, says Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who chaired a review of administration policy for Afghanistan in 2009.
"Petraeus knows the region, and he knows the plan," Riedel says.
Col. Steve Boylan, who was Petraeus' public affairs officer in Iraq, said it appears the president was "looking for those qualities that have been proven in the past."
Petraeus, 57, has developed relationships with the military in Pakistan. In the past year, Pakistan has sought to root out insurgents in the regions bordering Afghanistan. Removing those havens is seen as key to providing better security in Afghanistan.
"He has my full confidence," Obama said.
A soft-spoken officer with a fierce competitive streak, Petraeus has achieved near legendary status in the military for his reputation as an intellect and as a troop leader.
Petraeus, who has a Ph.D. from Princeton, has already spent about four years in Iraq, in various commands. In between tours there, he led efforts to overhaul the military's counterinsurgency doctrine.
Petraeus came to Iraq in early 2007, when the war was faltering, to lead a new White House-backed strategy. Sectarian violence in Baghdad was spiraling out of control, and al-Qaeda militants were launching massive car-bomb attacks.
He put his new counterinsurgency doctrine into effect, ordering troops off large bases and into small outposts to protect civilians. U.S. forces formed alliances with community and tribal leaders and created local defense groups to protect neighborhoods.
Initially, allied casualties increased as insurgents fought back. Over time, security grew and violence dropped dramatically.
"He has shown himself as an extraordinary commander," said Richard Fontaine, who was formerly McCain's foreign policy adviser.
In Iraq, Petraeus also proved adept at working with other agencies. He built a close working relationship with then-ambassador Ryan Crocker. "He's shown he can play nicely interagency," Fontaine said. "That worked well in Iraq."
McChrystal's comments about Eikenberry in Rolling Stone showed the tensions between the two in Afghanistan.
The new counterinsurgency doctrine concludes that establishing effective governance is as important in defeating insurgents as conventional military tactics. The State Department and other government agencies play a large role in fighting insurgencies.
Petraeus takes over in Afghanistan at a critical time and has little time to show results. Allies are in the middle of a make-it-or-break-it campaign to take the initiative from the enemy.
The White House will assess progress in December and plans to being withdrawing troops next summer.
Topic(s): Iraq, Regional Security Challenges, Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime, Development and Diplomacy, U.S. Military Forces & Operations, U.S. National Security and Defense Policy
Project(s): Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. Military Forces and Operations, Iraq
People: Richard Fontaine
