A year after President Trump announced a massive escalation of the Afghan War, a decision which came at the behest of the Pentagon, metrics are suggesting the situation on the ground is worse than ever. Civilian deaths are soaring, and Afghan territory is falling increasingly under Taliban control.
Defense Secretary James Mattis insisted that the ever-worsening situation shows that the strategy is “working,” and cites increased pressure on the Taliban to join reconciliation talks as proof that the strategy is correct.
This is clearly a dramatic step back from expectations for a military victory, but Mattis isn’t alone. Other Pentagon officials have tried to rebrand possible talks are “progress” in the war, 17 years in.
Yet it was just a few months ago that President Trump ruled out talks with the Taliban. This reflects the talks not being a war goal until very recently. Afghan officials made efforts to get talks going in the face of mounting losses, and that they managed to get at least some interest is being co opted by the US as vindication for a strategy that led to those losses in the first place.
With no timetable for the talks, and it not being clear they’re going to happen at all, Mattis insisted the conflict still has “a long way to go.” Though there has been some talk of the US reviewing its strategy because of all the military losses, Mattis and the commanders are clearly resisting this, and want the current course to continue.
Well if the “mad dog” has to wi, fine, let him imagine he is winning. Have talks make peace, declare victory and leave. Now you have 70 billion a year to fix potholes.
The general is not only mad, he’s stoopid.
It occurs to me after reading this that what’s old is new again. Just as Trump is working overtime to finally end the endless Korean War, the military and allies are working overtime to continue the now endless “war” in Afghanistan. There is no shortage of anti Western enemies there and since the Taliban et. al. do not yet possess serious offensive weapons, that “war” can be continued indefinitely without risk to the US or NATO “allies.”
So out with the old war, in with the new. 1984-style, old “enemies” become friends and new ones are manufactured to feed the war machine and profiteers.
Yes, sounds very cynical and all. But haven’t all of the original Al Qaeda an their Taliban enablers been killed by now? Or imprisoned? Or died of old age?
So while 9/11 was the spark for this war, why are we still fighting there? The notion that we must still avenge 9/11 is absurd now.
But War is the Health of the State so best to “fight” (i.e. spend billions annually) on wars which never end. And with enemies who can’t really shoot back. The War Machine Thanks You for Your Support.
We’re not dropping bombs in Korea. Maybe Trump can put all of those overtime hours being spent on ending a frozen conflict into ending a hot one. And it was Trump’s call to escalate, so the military is just carrying out the Commander in Chief’s orders.