"Afghanistan is not a commitment that you enter into for two or three years. Developing that nation will take a generation, or generations."
That happy prediction from the alliance's own secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. A reasonable person could take that to mean that NATO will be bogged down in Afghanistan for somewhere around 30-years. Isn't that great?
Generations? Is that how long it's going to take to give Karzai an Afghan army that can replace NATO's 26,000 soldiers in ISAF? No, of course not, so we're going to be stuck there ...exactly why? Well, in typical Scheffer style that's left out of the pitch.
Are we there to wipe out the Taliban? No, that doesn't seem likely, even our generals say that can't be done. Are we there to wipe out the opium trade? That would only outrage too many top dogs in the Kabul government. Best leave that one alone. Are we there to drive out the tyrannical warlords? No, then we'd be at war with the entire country.
Six years down this road NATO's secretary general owes us - all the people of all the NATO nations - some clear answers. Just what are we there to do, how are we going to do it and when will we be able to declare "mission accomplished." Until he gives us straight answers to those direct questions, everything else that comes out of his mouth is pure bullcrap.
To say that NATO has to stay in Afghanistan for generations needs to be seen for what it really is. It's Scheffer's tacit admission that he doesn't have the foggiest idea how to get us out.
That happy prediction from the alliance's own secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. A reasonable person could take that to mean that NATO will be bogged down in Afghanistan for somewhere around 30-years. Isn't that great?
Generations? Is that how long it's going to take to give Karzai an Afghan army that can replace NATO's 26,000 soldiers in ISAF? No, of course not, so we're going to be stuck there ...exactly why? Well, in typical Scheffer style that's left out of the pitch.
Are we there to wipe out the Taliban? No, that doesn't seem likely, even our generals say that can't be done. Are we there to wipe out the opium trade? That would only outrage too many top dogs in the Kabul government. Best leave that one alone. Are we there to drive out the tyrannical warlords? No, then we'd be at war with the entire country.
Six years down this road NATO's secretary general owes us - all the people of all the NATO nations - some clear answers. Just what are we there to do, how are we going to do it and when will we be able to declare "mission accomplished." Until he gives us straight answers to those direct questions, everything else that comes out of his mouth is pure bullcrap.
To say that NATO has to stay in Afghanistan for generations needs to be seen for what it really is. It's Scheffer's tacit admission that he doesn't have the foggiest idea how to get us out.
Cyprus - 29 years, 28 dead.
ReplyDeleteGolan Heights - 32 years, 13 dead.
Cheers,
lance