General McCrystal was relieved of command, not forced into retirement or discharged. It is unfortunate the military campaign that promoted him also served to demoralize he and his staff. I like General McCrystal and while there is no one else to blame for the Rolling Stone mess, it is more a symptom than a character trait.I believe the USA still has a First Class General in McCrystal. He'll find his sea legs again.
It is also unfortunate General Petraeus has to move to Afghanistan from Central Command, but, I am sure the move is for the best. He is completely oriented to the Afghanistan theater and can balance NATO well when it comes to USA policy.
There was one time when Afghanistan as a country made sense. It doesn't anymore. Al Qaeda and the Taliban destroyed any sense of decency in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has become a cesspool of power from any bazaar facsimile of a regime. Karzai believes he has to appear to be as corrupt and bazaar as the warlords and Taliban in order to maintain his 'figure head' status. Karzai has no backbone.
There isn't any other way of describing it. It isn't a nation. In name only, perhaps. But, the 'power' that allows anarchy to rule the day to day lives of the citizens is hideous. It is as though generations of Afghans have lost their understanding of what comprises a civilized nation and the only thing that matters anymore is 'what can be gained by a day of bargaining with the chaotic infrastructure.'
It is astounding the Poppy Economy is still flourishing there. We are fighting a war in a country where we consent to an agricultural commodity of 'scheduled' drugs. That is amazing. I really believe we need flying missions that regularly burn the opium crops to the ground and bring the troops home. Once the opium is gone the Taliban have lost their ability to be international terrorists.
Afghanistan, POST BUSH AND CHENEY, would demoralize any General. It isn't a hopeless case, but, Afghanistan's government and infrastructure is playing the civilized world as fools while they make 'decency' impossible to 'take hold' in a country that wallows in poverty almost as a choice than an abhorence.
We know for a fact that al Qaeda thrives on and within poverty stricken people. Afghanistan has assigned itself to a 'poverty status' in its choices. It never seems to rid itself of the one element that would free its people forever. They rather bargain with the Taliban then defeat them. The Afghan people still don't place their futures ahead of their daily survival. They don't value their children over opportunity to be corrupt.
What is astounding is that the Taliban are amoral. They are criminals. Yet the poeple of Afghanistan aren't willing to rid themselves of these amoral criminals, but, rather choose to include them within their communities as if brothers of a different 'worship status.' It is the most hideous set of circumstanes and the global community continue to treat Afghanistan as if it is helpless rather than reticent.
I believe there were successful campaigns in Afghanistan under McCrystal, it is an aspect to this that adds to the unfortunate nature of his change in command. The Rolling Stone mess is 'over the top' to say the least, even for Rolling Stone.
Let's hope General Petraeus can continue to advance goals in Afghanistan and make the need for troops at all legitimate. If Afghanistan can't pull itself out of its 'funk' it is time to contain the influence of Afghanistan from an international perspective until the country has changed its methodology 'of power' to sincere values of civilized society.
I do not see the 'tone' of the war changing. Either it has success or we chock it up to a failure of the people of Afghanistan and go back to defending the USA and its allies without the troop involvement and fiscal drag on our countries.
Six NATO soldiers were killed in attacks in Afghanistan on Wednesday, alliance forces said, bringing to 75 the number of foreign troops who have died in the troubled nation this month.The deaths of one British marine and five other soldiers, whose nationalities were not released, made it nearly certain June would be the worst month for NATO casualties since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban.
The British marine was killed in a small arms fire in Helmand province, a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan, the UK defence ministry said in statement.
Four other soldiers died in homemade bomb attacks -- two in the south, one in the east and one in the west -- while one soldier died in an accident on patrol in western Afghanistan NATO announced in Kabul.
The deadliest month for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the nine-year war occurred in August last year, when 77 soldiers were killed.
So far 295 NATO troops have died this year, according to AFP tallies based on the independent icasualties.org website....
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/nato-troop-deaths-afghanistan-approach-grim-record
The British marine was killed in a small arms fire in Helmand province, a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan, the UK defence ministry said in statement.
Four other soldiers died in homemade bomb attacks -- two in the south, one in the east and one in the west -- while one soldier died in an accident on patrol in western Afghanistan NATO announced in Kabul.
The deadliest month for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the nine-year war occurred in August last year, when 77 soldiers were killed.
So far 295 NATO troops have died this year, according to AFP tallies based on the independent icasualties.org website....
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/nato-troop-deaths-afghanistan-approach-grim-record
