In 1993, Osama thought he understood the lesson: America would back down from a fight, if they just killed a few of Our Troops. He had learned the lesson from Viet Nam, and from Somalia. In both cases, Our Troops had delivered America Great Victories, but the politicians had managed to defeat Our Troops. There was a point in 2006, 2007, and into 2008, where it looked like the politicians would pull a defeat off in Iraq too. In a sense, they did. General Petraeus was able to pull Victory out of the jaws of the politicians in the nick of time.
In the wake of the 2008 elections, I warned colleagues that the media and politicians were going to try it again in Afghanistan. It had been a tough year in Afghanistan, but the war there has been the least deadly in American History.
Nevertheless, the media has done its part to publicize every negative while ignoring the positives. In few other places will you find the stories of the Generosity Our Troops are doing every day. In few other places will you find their daily Victories. The MSM had sabotaged the Mission in Iraq and now they were fully focused on doing the same in Afghanistan. It wasn't for a lack of stories that they didn't report daily. It was for a lack of negative stories and the others they ignored.
When Obama wanted to half-step the request of General McChrystal for more Troops, the MSM helped make his case. When McChrystal complained privately that he was barely being given the time of day (20 minutes at the back of Air Force 1) by the Administration, Rolling Stones published every derogatory remark from every staff member with insinuation that it was McChrystal himself saying it.
When Obama finally announced he had relented to NATO pressure, and would send only 30,000 instead of the minimum of 40,000 requested, he also announced that the withdrawal would begin barely after the Troops arrived. He had campaigned on making Afghanistan, his "just war," his "top priority." Obama owns the current situation in Afghanistan, both in the things he did and the things he didn't do.
It was tempting for Republicans to do to Obama, what Obama and his party had done to Bush; to hype the negatives of the war he had claimed. It was tempting for the Conservatives to argue that it was time to pull out of what the POTUS had staked his own wartime presidency. 2009 was the deadliest year ever in Afghanistan, until 2010. 2011 was worse than 2009. All told, the last 3 years have seen 75% of the post 9/11 violence.
Worse, Obama policies were often to blame. His withdrawal policy, issued in 2009, emboldened the enemy. His political correctness policy tied the hands of Troops to kill the enemy. His revolving door policy was releasing the fighters 30 days after they had been captured. His bombing campaign in Pakistan riled and alienated a reluctant but necessary ally, resulting initially in blocked and burned supplies along Paki supply routes, and then a final block on all supplies through the country. Under the Obama Presidency, Pakistan has gone from fighting the Taliban to embracing them as secret allies. It has gone from an ally to a stonewaller, and that too was predicted, before he was elected.
Biden had argued for a Counter-Terrorism only policy in 2009, instead of a Surge.
The right of the aisle had committed to Counter-Insurgency, which included the Clinton era trademark of Nation Building, as a piece of it. The Petraeus Plan had included vital components such as seeking out, closing with, and destroying the enemy, as well as making locals a key component of securing their own villages.
The Obama plan attempted to play nice with insurgents, while dropping explosives by pilots thousands of miles away on an allied Nation. It pushed for peace negotiations with an enemy that had no reason or desire to compromise and a history of not giving an inch in its dictatorial demands of the people. Afghans warned the Taliban leadership should not be negotiated with.
After 3 years of bad policies, of tying the hands of Our Troops, it is easy to say "Screw it. We'll take our ball and go home." It's particularly easy when some of the deadliest attacks are being carried out by Afghans in their Army or Police uniforms.
But while the infiltration of the ANA/ANP by the Taliban was predictable when politicians pushed for expansion of their numbers at a faster pace than they could be vetted, the attacks themselves are a demoralizing but low in number compared to how many Afghan troops are in uniform. The trend can only be reversed a wholesale change of policies, but the attacks have achieved precisely what the enemy desired: undermining US Support for the Mission, and creating distrust between Our Troops and their enemy, the ANA.
The Taliban are still a minority. Supporters of the Taliban are still a minority. The vast majority of Afghans oppose the Taliban and support democracy.
To pull out of Afghanistan would be to sentence Afghans to a new Civil War. It would likely lead to a return a Taliban ruled Afghanistan, and potentially an expansion of the Taliban into Pakistan as well. At a time when If the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan they will give Al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorists all the space they want to train for the next attacks on Americans.
The violent protests over Koran burnings are not the average Afghan. They barely numbered in the thousands in a Nation of Millions. The anger in Khandahar over the murder of 16 Afghans? Those are average Afghans, with a right to be upset, though that anger will be misdirected.
On 18 November 1997, Madeleine Albright said: "We are opposed to the Taliban because of their opposition to human rights and their despicable treatment of women and children and great lack of respect for human dignity."
In the same month: "The continued support by these outside forces [Iran & Pakistan], combined with the apathy of others [United States & Europe] not directly involved is rendering diplomatic initiatives almost irrelevant."
The Taliban had been starving Afghans out of resistance. The UN had gone on the run from Taliban oppression, while Pakistan had contracted to give the Taliban alone food during a rough winter. They had used the football stadium re-furbished by the UN as a field of execution.
If they return to power, they will do the same again. The Taliban have not changed, not for the better anyway.
Going back into Afghanistan will be harder than staying. Afghanistan is still winnable. The Afghan people are not barbarians that cannot embrace peace or a democratic change of government. On the contrary, the vast majority of Afghans already embrace democracy, as an imperfect yet best form of government.
The problem is the politicians in Washington. A law degree does not make one a General. Community organizing doesn't give one the experience needed to win a war. The problem is not the Troops. It is not Afghans. The enemy is not insurmountable. The problem are the politicians in Washington that decided to tie Our Troops hands and announce to the enemy the dates of retreat before the first re-enforcements arrived. Change the politicians.
Stumble It!
