Monday, March 4, 2013

How The White House Let Diplomacy Fail In Afghanistan

Nasr and Holbrooke seated behind the laptop. Photos courtesy of Vali Nasr

The Inside Story Of How The White House Let Diplomacy Fail In Afghanistan -- Vali Nasr, Foreign Policy

"My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience."

It was close to midnight on Jan. 20, 2009, and I was about to go to sleep when my iPhone beeped. There was a new text message. It was from Richard Holbrooke. It said, "Are you up, can you talk?" When I called, he told me that Barack Obama had asked him to serve as envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He would work out of the State Department, and he wanted me to join his team. "No one knows this yet. Don't tell anyone. Well, maybe your wife." (The Washington Post reported his appointment the next day.)

Read more ....

Update #1: Former Adviser Criticizes Obama on Afghan War -- New York Times
Update #2: Former adviser lashes out at ‘turf wars’ between Obama’s, Clinton’s aides -- Washington Times
Update #3: Afghanistan: Obama’s War of Choice For the Sake of Shallow Politics -- John Glaser, Antiwar.com

My Comment:
A depressing read from one who saw it all.

No comments: