Afghanistan (Photo credit: Ricymar Fine Art Photography)
American thinkers are still functioning under the paradigm of a unipolar world. Just like it took Russia some time to realize that it was no longer a superpower, it will take Washington thinker some time to realize the that the world does not circumnavigate around the wishes of the White House anymore. American planners have not digested the meaning of “over-reach” and totally are still lost in Alexander’s dream of conquering the world. Just like the Macedonian, they continue to try to move beyond the Oxus (though in a different direction), even though the supply lines and the forces on the ground no longer want to advance anymore.
US general want to use the drones to attack more and more folks in Pakistan. Instead of planning a planned withdrawal, they continue to find reasons to exacerbate the fighting.
Dr. Thomas F. Lynch III is Distinguished Research Fellow for South Asia. He has written a prodigious article for Foreign Policy, a magazine usually dedicated to castigating Pakistan, and eulogizing the work of the US armed forces in West Asia.
Lynch convincingly describes the mechanics of the destruction of Al-Qaeda and correctly describes the ground situation in Afghanistan where the so called “bait” of Mullah Omar to Bin Laden definitely does to extend to those who try to run that organization now. Lynch in effect thus says that the US focus should not be on targeting second and third tier so called leaders in Afghanistan. Instead, Lynch says that the US objectives should be to reduce the tension between Pakistan and India.
“American policy must wake up to the fact that the risks of devastating proxy war between India and Pakistan now dwarf the risks of al-Qaeda’s return to unfettered sanctuary and recalibrate its diplomatic energies and military priorities accordingly.”
Lynch says that Washington must calm down the neighborhood. “The United States must reduce its present focus on killing off every last al-Qaeda affiliated leader or mid-level Haqqani Network operative in Pakistan and pay far more attention to the factors necessary to inhibit proxy war in Afghanistan”
He says that Islamabad see the Afghan National Army as an extension of the Indian Army “a tense but enduring U.S. diplomatic relationship with Pakistan designed to calm its fears that growing Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will become an Indian-directed dagger aimed at Pakistan’s back, and diplomatic engagement with Pakistan and India on an acceptable political and security framework for Afghanistan into the next decade.”
Lynch however argues for a long term stay in Afghanistan “NATO force planners then must devise processes to draw down to the residual U.S./coalition military stabilization forces necessary to stay on for the rest of the decade, enforce this essential Indo-Pakistani framework agreement, and serve as a buttress against points of friction or violence in Afghanistan that could descend into the chaos of a proxy war conflict.”
Lynch understand the uphill task of this venture “these vital outcomes will require earnest and difficult negotiations with the Pakistanis, Indians, Afghan Taliban, and northern ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Negotiations focused on these outcomes have not even begun. It is time that they do.”
The author however ignores the new reality of Pakistan’s FOreign Minister visiting Russia, establishing a strategic partnership with Moscow In the meeting this week Moscow was sympathetic to Pakistan’s request to join the SCO, and plans to assist its South Asian “neighbor” in energy, trade and other areas. It is pedagogical to note that Moscow is also engaging Islamabad in what it calls the Dushambe Four.
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NATO’s mission in Afghanistan in turmoil after Koran burning.
Afghans and Muslims are outraged and the way the Qu’ran has been desecrated, yet it was the leaders of the ISAF / NATO alliance who were up in arms when The Taliban defaced the Bhuddah statue and used that as a reason to demonise the Taliban.
Yet here they are time and time again abusing the faith of Islam, desecrating dead bodies of insurgent fighters and now desecrating the Qu’ran.
This is a consistent policy of NATO troops inside Iraq and the many you tube videos showing the same in Afghanistan. Thanks to George Bush and The Neocons Islam has been given such a battering that for many it is open season to humiliate and insult and not respect the sensitivities of Muslims worldwide.
Are you telling me that NATO soldiers were completely oblivious that it was the Qu’ran that they were burning – off course not, they knew exactly what they were doing.
Even the most inexperienced of soldiers is now well versed on Muslim sensitivities having been engaged in conflict not one but 3 Islamic nations arguably 4 if you include Pakistan in the last decade.
NATO is completely in disarray, the blunder against Pakistan, the widening gap between strategic objectives of the generals and the administrations of NATO countries. What is going on with NATO and how truthful were their bold statements on their Afghanistan mission.
One should measure the success with the tangible factors, for NATO there are none. The Afghan resistance is at its highest with many groups allied with the Taliban under the Afghan National Resistance banner.
Afghanistan is said to be 90% in the administration of Taliban representatives and NATO’s jurisdiction if that exists only in Kabul. Reconciliation efforts have failed as the Taliban leadership do not wish to engage with Karzai or America especially on American terms.
NATO supply lines remain closed from within Pakistan and the NATO aggression against Pakistani troops continues to be side balled. NATO is being humiliated everywhere and her involvement in Libya and elsewhere is seen for what it is under dubious circumstance.
NATO is no longer seen as a noble organisation but an instigator of terror and oppression for those outside the North Atlantic Order. NATO no longer has the moral high ground and is seen as an instrument of oppression and its humiliation in Afghanistan is just the tip of the iceberg.
Why are NATO troops not educated on Afghan culture and history, blunders like this in the heart of Khorasan are not easily forgotten. This time around they cannot blame Pakistan for their blunder as 2 senior NATO officers are shot dead within Afghanistan most secure building the interior ministry.
With the Afghan Taliban taking responsibility it will undoubtedly send chills among the security advisors working for NATO nations who often meet within the Afghanistan interior ministry to discuss security and strategy.
This is exactly what has been said for several years now, NATO does not have control over Afghanistan and they have already lost the war and blaming Pakistan is completely wrong.
The Guardian newspaper had an interesting comment from a Friday sermon which questioned the Americans motives;
“First the Americans shook our hands as friends and helpers, but then they invited our young people to become Christians, and now they have burned our holy Qur’an,” said Sheikh Zada Amad Ali Khan, in a sermon at Kabul’s Hossania Qalay Fatullah mosque. “Americans are the enemy of our holy Qur’an and holy religion.”
What was also disturbing was a response from the American Republican Presidential Newt Gingrich rather than try to diffuse the situation or try to distance himself from W’s mess there has been no change of heart from the Republican presidential hopefuls.
Newt Gingrich statement against Obama’s attempt to diffuse the situation is very disturbing and disrespectful to Muslims all over the world; Newt Gingrich attacked the President for apologising, saying it was “astonishing” and undeserved. No Newt you are astonishing and undeserving of running as President.
Gen Allen said in a statement. “The perpetrator of this attack is a coward whose actions will not go unanswered.” No General desecrating the faith of 1.5 billion people as a show of your defeat is cowardly.
Incarcerating innocent muslim women and then allowing their abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan is cowardly. NATO and ISAF have only but themselves to blame for a string of cowardly dishonourable acts that are beyond forgiving.
Afghans and Muslims have heard NATO / ISAF apologies before and promises that it will never happen again only to reoccur over and over again which just shows the contempt NATO /ISAF soldiers have for Islam and Muslims.
The parallels with Vietnam are all there. If you recall 1968 the US Embassy was attacked by the Vietcong a year after America had declared intention to end combat missions in Vietnam similarly to modern day Afghanistans predicament.
While the Embassy attack in 1968 by the Vietcong very much like the attack on the US officers in the interior ministry can be seen as tactically insignificant.
It is guerrilla warfare at its most strategic and pervasive because on the backdrop of the political climate, the low ISAF/NATO troop morale and high morale among the resistance movement.
It surely will leave a profound political and psychological impact. The United States had been at war in Vietnam for 2.5 years, 20,000 Americans had been killed and despite the presence of nearly 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, the Vietcong had successfully penetrated the U.S. Embassy, sovereign U.S. territory and the symbol of American power in Vietnam.
The attack on the US embassy led to the fall of Saigon and completely destroyed American troop morale and public opinion completely turned against the war inside America.
American invasion of Afghanistan has now entered the belly of the beast and it can only go from bad to worse.
first line should read;
Afghans and Muslims are outraged at the way the Qu’ran has been desecrated.