Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Ralph Peters: Disneyworld on the Kabul River

Ex-US military intelligence officer Ralph Peters, comes out punching with his latest assessment of the Afghanistan/Pakistan situation. If you want nuance, read White House press releases. If you want the straight goods, go to to this (article)
After taking apart al Qaeda's base network and punishing the Taliban, we should have left the smoking ruins. This should have been a classic punitive expedition: We're not obliged to rehabilitate foreign murderers.

As for those who exclaim that "We would have had to go back!" - well, so what? Had we needed to hammer Afghanistan again in 2007 or 2008, that still would've been cheaper in blood (ours and the Afghans') and treasure than trying to build a "rule of law" state where no real state ever existed.

Staying left us with criminally vulnerable logistics - ever the bane of campaigns in the region. The Brits and the Soviets both learned the hard way that superior fighting skills don't suffice in Afghanistan: You need dependable, redundant supply lines.

(...)

They also want the new US administration to multiply foreign-aid bribes. (There isn't enough cash left in the country for Pakistan's elite to steal.)

Our response? We're paying up. Plus, dumber than dirt, we're turning to the Russians for an alternate supply line - after they bullied the Kyrgyz government into ending our access to a vital airbase north of the Afghan border.

But the central problem is the blind-alley mission. We kidded ourselves that we could conjure up a functioning rule-of-law state in the obstinately lawless territory known as Afghanistan, whose various ethnic groups hate each other unto death.

Instead of setting a realistic goal - mortally punishing our enemies - we decided to create a model democracy in a territory that hasn't reached the sophistication of medieval Europe.

Wow! Say what you want, but this is the free press in action. This is some of the best writing out there. I'm going to have to look into buying his book.

Tonight on CBC, President Obama was interviewed by Pete Mansbridge. On the Afghan mission, Obama talked about the need for using "diplomacy" and "development" as opposed to the merely, "military solutions." He should read Ralph Peters.

8 comments:

  1. I was curious if you ever considered changing the page layout
    of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
    But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect
    with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images.
    Maybe you could space it out better?

    Feel free to visit my web page http://www.couponsforhuggies.com/
    My website - potty training tips

    ReplyDelete
  2. Today, I went to thе beachfront with my children.
    I fοunԁ a ѕеa shеll and gavе it
    to my 4 year old daughteг and saiԁ "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." Ѕhe put thе shell to hеr
    ear and scгeamеd. There was a hermіt
    cгаb insіdе anԁ it pinchеd hеr ear.
    Ѕhe nеveг wants to go bаck! LoL I
    know this іs complеtely off topic but I
    had to tell someоne!

    Hеrе is my pagе: http://www.Answers.jguitar.Com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hі there! Do yοu κnow if they mаke any
    plugins to ргotect against hackers?
    I'm kinda paranoid about losing everything I've worked hагԁ on.

    Αny гeсommеndationѕ?


    Feel free tо surf to my web site ... Electronic Cigarettes Starter Kit

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility problems? A few of my blog audience have complained about my website not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any solutions to help fix this issue?

    Also visit my web blog ... wrangler camo cargo pants

    ReplyDelete
  5. Howdy would you mind letting me know which hosting company you're using? I've
    loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most.

    Can you recommend a good web hosting provider at a fair price?

    Kudos, I appreciate it!

    Here is my webpage: Methadone Clinics

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi would you mind stating which blog platform you're working with? I'm going to start my own blog in the near future but I'm having a difficult time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I'm looking for something unique.
    P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask!


    Also visit my web page vera wang lavender shoes

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my fаcebooκ group?
    Τheгe's a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thanks

    Feel free to visit my web-site: new balance minimal running shoes
    Also see my web page: all black running shoes

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga
    group? There's a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you

    Also visit my weblog ... Subutex Withdrawal

    ReplyDelete