Escalating the circumstances by focusing on a soldier whom Americans view as an act of conscience is not the answer.
I believe holding people responsible in a way that won't allow this to happen again while running an internal investigation to secure the country from such scandal and victimization of its military personnel is the correct path to take.
The Pentagon said it was conducting an investigation into whether information in the logs placed coalition forces or their informants in danger. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images
...As members of the US Congress raised questions about Pakistan's alleged support for the Taliban, officials in Islamabad and Kabul also traded angry accusations on the same issue.
Further disclosures reveal more evidence of attempts by coalition commanders to cover up civilian casualties in the conflict.
The details emerge from more than 90,000 secret US military files, covering six years of the war, which caused a worldwide uproar when they were leaked yesterday.
The war logs show how a group of US marines who went on a shooting rampage after coming under attack near Jalalabad in 2007 recorded false information about the incident, in which they killed 19 unarmed civilians and wounded a further 50.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/27/afghanistan-war-logs-tensions-strained
The release of information occurred to put the USA on trial. I would think that is fairly obvious. Whether the USA 'deserves' to be put on trial is a question many have, but, when it comes to putting the USA on trail in a public forum is the question. If the 'leaker' did so to the World Court to determine human rights violations this would be more appropriate, but, that wasn't the venue.
In all honesty, I don't know if the documents should be classified. It appears as though the documents are in regard to actual combat situations that could be testimony of any soldier in the military if they decided to discuss them in a public forum. I think the Defense Department needs to put this into context and realize 'the truth' about the war within these documents is probably not a reason to raise the tenor of the confrontation of Wikileaks.
Wikileaks is simply attempting to legally out maneuver the USA Defense Department in order to cause further embarrassment and 'self protect' even if the national security of the country is at stake.
Determining whether or not these documents are STILL issues of national security is not my priority. I am not engaged in Afghanistan to know the brevity of that decision, but, to create an atmosphere of animosity within the USA is the wrong thing to do.
The Congressman that is demanding treason charges and death of this soldier is way out of line and is using this issue for poltiical fodder. It is not, nor should it be. It is up to the Defense Department to decide the damage here AND to reduce the size of the 'army of people' deployed throughout the country and military with 'security clearance' of one type or another. I believe that is the issue and not whether or not the battlefield is secure. I doubt these documents will do anything at this point to compromise troops. It isn't current information.
The information proves that the 'Counter Insurgency Measures' that are 'suppose to be the best venue' of defense is a lie. Basically, that is the case. Where COIN is suppose to be working and providing a measure of security to the people of Afghanistan so they 'render their fear of the Afghan government and USA meaningless' to 'disarm the propaganda' of the Taliban; is what the realease of documents is all about. In other words, COIN is a lie because that is not what is actually happening.
To me COIN is not a lie, it is a desperate attempt to continue to carry out a war that was wrongfully abandoned in 2003. That is what the issue is to me. Trying to 'go back' to 'readdress Afghanistan' to 'complete' a mission that was primarily abandoned for the invasion into Iraq is the issue at hand. A war nearly ten years old that isn't accomplishing the goal of destroying al Qaeda and securing allies and the USA from the act of violence on September 11th is the issue. Obviously, and only now that President Obama took office do the American people understand what really happened and unfortunately we are only beginning to realize the degree of negligence of the national security of the USA during the Bush/Cheney years that occurred.
COIN was painted as a 'real strategy' that would end the conflicts in both countries. That hasn't occurred. It isn't going to occur as the USA is dealing with people that kill for 'their god' in a way that is suppose to 'dominate the world' in glory to Allah. It's nuts.
The AID workers were Christian, but, that has happened in other countries around the world before. Missionary work is dangerous to begin with and to realize they are conducting missionary work in a war zone in Northern Afghanistan is about as known risk as any in the world. Whether they should have been protected by the miltitary, either Afghan or USA is a good question. But, this type of violence against religious missionary work occurs and it not unique to a war strategy.
Whether or not Christian NGOs should be allowed in Afghanistan is a question someone has to answer. Simply because The West sees 'egalitarianism' as a high priority to its communities isn't necessarily the best 'theory' for a war zone.
I don't understand how COIN would even allow Chrisitan NGOs access in an area where Muslim dominated communities are suppose to be the focus to the best stability of the nation. COIN is dealing with radical Islamic insurgents (I don't care to know the dictionary meaning of Islamic either.) and yet are allowing Christian NGOs to administer care in some of the most violent areas of the country. That is absurd. That is a counter insurgency strategy? No, that is active aggravation of the local insurgency.
Like. What are you doing already? And I am suppose to take COIN and the USA military and NATO seriously? No. This is not a well run strategy and makes no sense at all. The USA and NATO with COIN as a directive doesn't even have enough control of the battlefield to carry out their strategy.
COIN is the issue. It is the reason for the Wikileaks documents and it is why the corruption of Afghanistan flourishes.
The Wikileaks documents only proves COIN is a 'dreamscape' that never was possible. Soldiers have a right to defend themselves and COIN puts them right in the middle of villages of civilians where they can't discern who is the enemy. COIN 'creates' tension and conflict and does not defuse it.
That is what Wikileaks has done. IT exposed the defeat of COIN.
Is it worth a young soldier's life in charging him with treason? No. He hasn't killed anyone and the release of OLD documents hasn't and doesn't either.
