Reasoning from conclusions: Blind hope as the basis for U.S. foreign policy in Syria
Developing See Karen DeYoung, “U.S. calls on Russia and Syria to ground all aircraft in northwest Syria,” Washington Post, September 21, 2016 (8:28 PM). Karen…
Stanley McChrystal
“F… the EU!” — U.S. diplomat Victoria Nuland reveals—once again—the incompetence of the Obama administration
When Stanley McChrystal spoke disrespectfully of U.S. and French leaders, and was caught unexpectedly by now-deceased Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings (The Operators), when he…
On eve of testimony to Congress on Benghazi, CIA Director David Petraeus forced out over an affair
Updated November 10, 2012 David Petraeus, the nation’s most-celebrated military commander, has been forced to resign, ostensibly over an affair which came to light in…
REPRISE: Reasoning from Conclusions in Afghanistan
See Jennifer Rowland, “NATO under-reporting green-on-blue violence,” Foreign Policy, May 1, 2012. Editorial, “The Enemy Within,” New York Times, August 20, 2012. REPRISE First published…
The smartest person in the room, and the Afghanistan policy review
Continuing Reflections on “the Smartest Person in the Room” In a previous article, we offered some observations on the report that President Obama always considers…
“The Magician” draws eyes away from the ball in Afghanistan–again!
Once again, on the eve of a major meeting of U.S. and NATO foreign and defense ministers on October 14, the “Magician” in his green…
Strategic disarray in Afghanistan
“The current near-term strategy appears to be to try to kill enough of the Taliban’s leaders to force them to negotiate a settlement on terms acceptable to Hamid Karzai.”
“This war will not be won, or defeat avoided, by fine intellectual distinctions.”
“What Obama needs to do is to take the bull by the horns, and start exploring options for the early departure of Hamid Karzai. This will be a monumentally challenging task. So was D-Day in World War II.”
REPRISE (from March 26, 2010): Afghanistan U.N. SRSG de Mistura Describes U.N. Electoral Role; What Are Allied Forces Fighting For?
Originally Published March 26, 2010 In his first press conference, Staffan de Mistura, the new Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), described what he…
Wikileaks’ Leaked Documents on Afghanistan: Massive U.S. Intelligence System Failure
Much of the attention in the press following the release by Wikileaks of over 90,000 classified documents from U.S. military operations and intelligence in Afghanistan…
After McChrystal: Obama, Petraeus, and Fixing a Failed Strategy in Afghanistan
The newspapers will be filled for days with information and views regarding Obama’s June 23 firing of General Stanley McChrystal and his replacement by General…
McChrystal, Petraeus, COIN, and Fixing a Failed Strategy in Afghanistan
The newspapers will be filled for days with information and views regarding Obama’s meeting with Stanley McChrystal and his Afghanistan team on Wednesday, June 23,…
The New York Times’ Bob Herbert on dire Afghanistan situation and “the courage to leave”
In a must-read article, Bob Herbert in a op-ed column to be published Saturday in the New York Times describes the current situation in Afghanistan,…
Afghanistan: U.N. SRSG de Mistura Describes U.N. Electoral Role; What Are Allied Forces Fighting For?
In his first press conference, Staffan de Mistura, the new Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), described what he and the United Nations are…