Stanley McChrystal

By Clayton Swisher in Asia on August 15th, 2010
Photo by AFP

This installment focuses on some problems fighting this war from within the senior US military leadership.

Back in December 2009, I covered General McChrystal’s briefing on the Obama Afghan Surge inside a tent filled with senior US, Afghan, and ISAF officers at Kandahar Air Field.  

Since this week has been about reflection, a couple things stand out in my mind, starting with the awkwardly long moment of silence among the military’s top brass when McChrystal finished his presentation and asked the standing room only crowd if there were any questions on the future of the war (more on that in a moment).

By Nick Spicer in Americas, Europe on June 23rd, 2010
Photo by Reuters

At the risk of insubordination:

Is there not an eerie parallel between the travails of the French national football team and those of the United States' top man in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal?

Of late, each has greatly suffered at the hands of reporters revealing things they apparently weren't supposed to.

France's team self-imploded in the World Cup after the usually quite writerly sports newspaper L'Equipe ran an utterly vulgar headline on June 19.

It was apparently printing the words of star striker Nicolas Anelka uttered to France coach Raymond Domenech at half-time, during the recent match France lost to Mexico.

By James Bays in Asia on June 9th, 2010
Picture from AFP

Everyone in Kabul is still talking about the sudden departures of Interior Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar and Intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh.

These men, two out of the three most senior security ministers in the Karzai cabinet, were among the officials most trusted by the Americans and their allies.

The focus now is on who will replace them and how long it will take.

The two posts are absolutely key to the success or failure of the Obama strategy in Afghanistan.

By James Bays in Asia on February 22nd, 2010
Photo from AFP

Once again, a Nato attack has left many civilians dead.

The Afghan cabinet, after a meeting in the Presidential palace in Kabul, issued a statement saying that 27 civilians, included women and children had been killed.

The statement called the deaths "unjustifiable."

The military believed the three vehicle convoy in the remote mountains of Uruzgan province was carrying Taliban reinforcements. The order was given to strike them. The timing could not have been worse for NATO and US Commander General Stanley McChrystal.

Operation Moshtarak, the largest military offensive in Afghanistan since 2001 was supposed to be NATO's chance to retake the initiative in this troubled country, where the Taliban have been gaining ground in recent years. It is not just about gaining territory on the battlefield. Commanders know the more important goal is winning over ordinary Afghans.

By John Terrett in Americas on December 10th, 2009
Photo by Gallo/Getty
He's the man who oversaw the surge in Iraq. Now he's responsible for both that country and Afghanistan.
 
General David Petraeus, head of US Central Command, came to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday with a warning for senators to expect an increase in violence in Afghanistan once the extra US troops go in there.
 
"As in Iraq our troopers and their partners in Afghanistan will have to fight their ways into enemy strongholds and clear enemy controlled population centres. As in Iraq, the situation is likely to get harder before it gets easier. Violence likely will increase initially particularly in the spring as the weather improves."
 
By James Bays in Asia on November 26th, 2009
Photo by EPA
The Commander of NATO and US troops, General Stanley McChrystal is being kept away from the media. He is making no comment as he awaits the final decision on troops numbers from President Obama, due to be announced on December 1. But we already know how he would answer some of the key questions preoccupying insiders in Washington DC.
 
Are US and NATO forces losing in Afghanistan?
 
McCHRYSTAL: The stakes in Afghanistan are high. The situation in Afghanistan is serious; neither success nor failure can be taken for granted.
 
Many indicators suggest the overall situation is deteriorating. We face not only a resilient and growing insurgency; there is also a crisis of confidence among Afghans – in both their government and the international community - that undermines our credibility and emboldens the insurgents.
 

Al Jazeera Live

What's Hot


Recent Comments

This work is licensed under Creative Commons. Please read our attribution policy.