Posts Tagged afghanistan

Brian M Downing: A portentous skirmish in Ghazni province

Jul 2

Posted by Michael Collins in War (endless) | Comments off

From Asia Times Online
“Encouraging signs in the Afghan war are not in good supply, but a recent small engagement in the eastern province of Ghazni may be one. Weary of the absence of schools, medical help, safe marketplaces, and pockmarked roads, local Pashtuns calling themselves the “National Uprising Movement” fought the local Taliban bands. Remarkably, the locals inflicted sharp casualties on the Taliban and forced them to back down. The Movement won. [1]

“The National Uprising Movement did not act in concert with US troops or the Afghan National Army (ANA). They oppose the US and the Afghan government as much as they do the Taliban. This “third force” in the long Afghan war, though opposed to both sides, will probably benefit the US and Kabul side. But of course artlessness in dealing with this movement could detract from if not ruin its possibilities.”

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Tags: afghanistan, Ghanzi, national uprising, Taliban

Some questions about the Obama – Cameron meeting

Mar 15

Posted by Michael Collins in Big Money, Corruption, Wall St, War (endless) | Comments off

By Michael Collins

What a lovely photo of the two well-heeled leaders of the free world. Previously, it was the American cowboy president and the supposedly left leaning Prime Minister Tony Blair. That buddy act helped drag United States into the worst foreign policy disaster in its history. (Image full size)

This working partnership between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron portends less immediate damage than the Bush-Blair team. Nevertheless, there will be blood

Is there anything other than disaster awaiting the US and Great Britain in Afghanistan?

The response to the murder of sixteen Afghan civilians on March 12th has been disastrous for the United States with retaliatory attacks ongoing. Even before that, March 8 was a Deadly day for the Brits in Afghanistan with six soldiers killed in a bombing of an armored vehicle. General David Allen, in charge of the Afghanistan effort, lamented that this is the type of incident that could threaten the entire effort.

How will the U.S.-British enterprise recover from the latest in a series of insults to the Afghan people?

The people of the U.S. and Great Britain get the message. In a recent poll, 61% of citizens want U.S. troops home immediately. Only 19% oppose that decisive action. In Great Britain, 75% oppose the Afghan war effort.

With negligible public support and tottering economies, how can Obama and Cameron conceive, even for a moment, that withdrawal will last through the 2014 timeline?
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Tags: afghanistan, Barack Obama, David Cameron, Great Britain, libya, OTC derivatives, state visit, United States

Brian M. Downing: Negotiations and great games in Afghanistan

Jan 14

Posted by Michael Collins in Big Money, Central Asia, Intelligence | Comments off

By Brian M. Downing

Hopes for a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan are beginning once more, but the problematic Byzantine geopolitics are not readily apparent. It is not the bipolar confrontation between Britain and Russia that it was in the 19th century. Nor is it simply the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) against the Taliban.

The war in Afghanistan involves Pakistan against India, China against India, the Pashtun Afghans against the northern peoples, Saudi Arabia against Iran, and Russia against China. So arcane and intricate are these conflicts that the US is allied with enemies and at odds with allies.

Pakistan against India

Afghanistan has long been a theater in the long conflict between Pakistan and India. The two states have been rivals since their inception and thus far India has been the political, economic, and military winner – a disturbing imbalance which decisively shapes the outlooks of the Pakistani army and parts of the population.

More at the Asia Times January 14

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Tags: afghanistan, arms, China, International, iran, negotiations, Pakistan, Russia, saudi arabia, strtegic depth, United States

A Hawk Reappraises the Afghan War

Apr 2

Posted by Michael Collins in Big Money, War (endless) | Comments off

Bing West’s “The Wrong War”

By BRIAN M. DOWNING

Bing West, a marine veteran and assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan, has written extensively on American soldiers in various wars from the Vietnam War, in which he served, to ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His many books have chronicled the hard work and grim determination of US soldiers and have been typically supportive not only of the troops but also of the wars themselves. As its title more than suggests, this offering is very much a departure on the latter point. (Image Isafmedia)

West’s long experience gives him the ability to relate to and learn from the GIs, making his insights more penetrating than those of embedded journalists. He has gone out into foreboding places such as the Korengal Valley in Kunar province in the east, which the US withdrew from last year, and Marja in Helmand to the south, which is one of the three principal areas in the counterinsurgency program.
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Tags: afghanistan, book review, foreign policy, military, War (endless), West