Two Winnable Wars
That's what Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies calls Iraq and Afghanistan in an opinion article in Sunday's Washington Post. Cordesman has long been a skeptic about the possibilities for success in Iraq and has been quoted on occasion by those who argue we should withdraw posthaste. In this article, he recommends the opposite—and in the strongest terms. Key passages:
What the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan have in common is that it will take a major and consistent U.S. effort throughout the next administration at least to win either war. Any American political debate that ignores or denies the fact that these are long wars is dishonest and will ensure defeat....
If the next president, Congress and the American people cannot face this reality, we will lose. Years of false promises about the speed with which we can create effective army, police and criminal justice capabilities in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot disguise the fact that mature, effective local forces and structures will not be available until 2012 and probably well beyond. This does not mean that U.S. and allied force levels cannot be cut over time, but a serious military and advisory presence will probably be needed for at least that long, and rushed reductions in forces or providing inadequate forces will lead to a collapse at the military level.
It is true that many Democratic primary voters and caucusgoers are slavering at the prospect of American defeat. They want to see us lose. Cordesman, no fan of George W. Bush, to say the least, wants to see us win. Someone needs to cite Cordesman's article and conclusions and ask Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton which side they're on.
Tags: Iraq war (2003-) | War in Afghanistan (2001-)
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Real LOVE
Here's a post I wrote for Bill Arkin's column
in the Washington Post today:
The German Army has excellent field Officers,
some of the finest in the world,
why should they be allowed
to shirk their duties?
I read their public opinion polls too
and in my estimation
the German politikos
have not presented the case well to the public
for helping out the good people of Afghanistan.
Charity work on this level
is not for the feint of heart
especially when somebody
is trying to shove a Kalashnikov
down your throat.
So just how do you purpose securing
the next generation of Afghanis
from the local bullies?
They need education, good roads
and fair trade too
you know.
Hiding under the bed
is all good and fine
but it takes a special someone
a person with real heart
to get this job done.
Afghanistan is the poorest nation on the planet.
and people talk about helping out Darfur?
please...
they don't know what it takes
to change the world.
It takes heart
It takes commitment.
It takes a lot of LOVE
What will Happen
The May 15th Prophecy has already declared what will happening in Iraq and Afaghistan
Do a Google search of the May 15th Prophecy and you will see for yourself that it has been the only source with 100% accuracy about the happening in Iraq,Lebanon, Iran and the greater Middle East
Winning War
It depends on how many times you re-define "winning" to meet lowered expectations.
Winning in Iraq meant achieving the goals of depriving Saddam of the WMD he was addicted to and leaving Iraq as a shining city on the hill after a 30-90 day occupation, at a cost to the U.S. of < $2 billion dollars since Iraqi oil would pay for reconstruction "sooner rather than later."
Reference: "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 9/8/03: Last February, with invasion just weeks away, sources in the Bush administration told Newsweek that they were expecting a postwar occupation of Iraq of 30 to 90 days."
Winning in Afghanistan meant getting bin Laden and neutralizing al-Qaeda.
Iraq and Afghanistan
Cordesman is on the right track for sure. It doesn't matter what our expectations are in either place, it matters what the good people of those countries expect for their future and we can only give them a glimpse of the possibilities and hope that they grasp them. Freedom is not free, it has to be fought for and won and never let go. That is the real issue and we are either willing to stay the difficult course of freedom or watch it slip away on the side lines. It is much harder still to get actively involved on the ground or in a support role rather than write hollow commentary which is largely uneducated about the reality in either country or misrepresent the amazing things that the men and women of the USA and other countries are doing in these far away places, far from the shores of our country but so close to what is basic in our lives-freedom, security, and progress.
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two wars
thoughtful question, but as with many things in america, not a popular sentiment, so, doubtful we would noty hear more than the normal rhetoric. disagree on one point, although the administration has performed poorly in many areas, lack of foresight, judgement, they never stated this would be quick.
Feb 25, 2008 10:44:48 AM [permalink] [report comment]