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Posts Tagged ‘Afghanistan’

I have written about my memories and personal ties to this particular date before and will later summarize them again because they are all rather odd in the sense that I can not recall any other day in my life which has ever been connected in the same way to such a significant “news event” via so many different ‘threads’.

However, 10 years is a significant anniversary and as good a time as any to reflect on the impact of those days one of which I experienced, as so many others do on my recent holiday in the USA. Having to check in for your flight very early, US Customs/Immigration, never a barrel of laughs, as surly as ever. But also there are the political dimensions not all of which have led to bad outcomes, some indeed may well be very beneficial in the medium term.

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Although to be expected from a left leaning newspaper written by and for the “Chattering Metropolitan Classes”, there was an interesting Editorial in the Independent on whether capturing Osama Bin Laden would have been better than shooting him and then burying him at sea. Whilst I think that the Americans were correct, it is a valid question to raise: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-the-nagging-questions-that-refuse-to-go-away-2278947.html

If you read the article, do read the comments from readers, we seem to have our fair share of ‘conspiracy theorists’ here in the UK today.

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There was an interesting article by Patrick Cockburn in today’s Independent on the situation in Afghanistan and particularly a desire by some in the US Military to conduct “Hot Pursuit” operations over the Pakistani border with Afghanistan which he likened to US operations in Cambodia during the Vietnam war.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/patrick-cockburn-nixon-adopted-this-tactic-in-vietnam-it-wont-work-any-better-now-than-it-did-then-2166495.html

In a sense, the whole concept of “Hot Pursuit” is a Red Herring because if you can’t capture or kill your ‘enemy’ on your side of the border, you are hardly likely to do any better by crossing it. Also and let us be honest, if the enemy is within your gun sights, that they have crossed an imaginary line, won’t stop you pulling the trigger either.

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Given the current economic circumstances the defence review was always going to be extremely difficult, the two aircraft carriers that would cost more money to cancel them to continue building is a case in point. The further factor that would have a impact on such review is obviously the on-going war in Afghanistan which by its very nature, is going to distort any strategic concept that would go behind such a review.

The question still lies in really what kind of future war should we be preparing for and it is in this context that we need to look at how successful this defence review has been. Or might it be said that under the given current circumstances a defence review based purely on a “National Strategy” was a task to far however, given that there had not been a defence review for over a decade the coalition government had very little choice in the matter.

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The Economist is an excellent newspaper that often produces highly thought provoking articles on a wide range of topics, the following on the concept and use of “Drone or UAV” aircraft is well worth a read, it puts some good points – http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/10/robots_war

I am a great advocate of using pilot-less aircraft wherever possible and from a military and commercial perspective, am surprised that we in the UK haven’t already got well into developing them. The problem with the current mindset seems to be to produce highly sophisticated solutions when come the day, expendable units produced in high volume will be the solution as the Russian T34s demonstrated in WWII whenever they came across more sophisticated and technically superior German ones.

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There was a story running today about potential “attacks on European cities” being foiled by UAVs – missile carrying drone aircraft taking out various targets in Afghanistan and likely, the Tribal Areas of Pakistan. What followed this article in the Telegraph were quite a number of readers comments that fairly rapidly built up over the day.

One comment which struck me quite forcefully was some idiot who quite out of ‘left field’ decided to post on his views of religion generally. What struck me was just how obnoxious militant atheists have become, I did not let it pass without comment…

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There was an interesting piece in the Independent concerning the murder of 10 Charity Workers in Afghanistan: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-aid-workers-and-armed-force-2047112.html

Whilst the British Media will inevitably concentrate on the one Briton killed, the following quote from this article, does provoke some thought:

“But the dependence of aid workers on the military for security, and the reliance of the military on aid organisations for the civilian reconstruction projects that are vital to winning over the local population, make for a volatile mix that risks endangering all concerned.”

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The current ‘big story’ is the leaking of some 90,000 US documents on the Wikileaks website concerning the Afghan War between 2004 and 2009 and revealing many, previously unreported incidents which amount to ‘collateral damage’ or, the killing of innocent civilians by ISAF Forces whilst conducting military operations. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10758578

For all the ‘noises’ made by all concerned, I do not think that this material will make one iota of difference because there is absolutely no ‘amazing revelations’ of say a “My Lai Massacre ”. Though many no doubt will seek, incorrectly to say the killing of people at a wedding party by bombs or missiles is the same which clearly it is not. Poor or bad intelligence does not equate to an Officer losing control of his men and they, then going on a deliberate killing rampage of the people in front of them.

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Much as I am fond of the US and its people, there are times when I do rather despair of the total naivety of some of them always demanding a black and white answer when the reality is nothing but a spectrum of greys going from black to white. A classic example of this was in Time magazine which I currently get on a weekly basis.

The question supposedly asked by Henry Kissinger: “Who do I call when I want to call Europe ?” Today as then and perhaps more so from a US perspective in these difficult times, the US wants to feel that there is a natural partner in the EU to help share the load but they really do need to wake up on this one because it is just never going to happen. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1967702,00.html

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I suppose with the year drawing to a close it would be obvious that there would be lots of “assessments” by journalists concerning Obama’s first year in Office and how the Hope he bought for change and a different approach has actually played out during that time.

Inevitably there will be many who start to wonder whether he will turn out to be a “One Term President”, my gut instinct is that it is far too early to say because often it is the unforeseen “events” which determine the fate of Presidents and Prime Ministers based upon how they react.

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