A New Afghanistan Commander Rethinks How to Measure Success

The new American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, right, in Kabul, the country’s capital, on Monday. General McChrystal has ordered a review of the military mission. Omar Sobhani/Reuters

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — The new American commander in Afghanistan has ordered a 60-day review of the entire military mission to identify better ways to separate the population from insurgents, an assessment that is expected to lead to new economic and military steps to carve fighters off from the Taliban.

Over the next week, the commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, is scheduled to crisscross Afghanistan to meet provincial leaders, villagers and American and allied officials, while counterinsurgency experts from inside and outside the government assist in the top-to-bottom review.

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Update: Next 18 Months Critical in Afghanistan, McChrystal Says -- U.S. Department of Defense

My Comment: I have trouble accepting this underlying assessment from General McChrystal:

“The measure of effectiveness will not be enemy killed,” General McChrystal told a Senate committee at his confirmation hearing on June 2. “It will be the number of Afghans shielded from violence.”

It has everything with killing the enemy, for this enemy with its religious underlying motivations is not going to be motivated to end this conflict until he is dead or you are gone. Fortunately, this philosophy does not hold sway with the majority of Afghans, but the leadership and command level of the Taliban do have this underlying philosophy, and they have no interest nor have shown any interest in pursuing any peace or accommodation with us or with our Afghan allies.