Letter From Kabul -- Michael Shank, The Nation
Returning to Washington this week, after a whirlwind tour in Afghanistan, I am dizzy, not from delight, but from the overwhelming disconnect between rhetoric stateside and reality Asia-side. Thankfully, my boss, Congressman Michael Honda, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's Afghanistan Taskforce, is trying to penetrate this rhetoric and advocate that reality. But it is not an easy job, especially in a town where sound bites often usurp sound analysis.
Read more ....
My Comment: I usually am not in agreement with The Nation .... but kudos to Michael Shank on writing a concise article that summarizes his experiences in Afghanistan. He is not the first to write about what is "really" happening in Afghanistan .... but his observations should be publicized and put into the record for the day when future pundits and politicians will (inevitably) start to debate on what went wrong in Afghanistan.
On a side note .... the line that stuck out for me in this article is the following ....
We are tackling an ideological opponent with bombs rather than with intelligence. The other, perhaps even more dangerous and unsustainable, involves the disregard of former Taliban, who have disarmed and desire reintegration into society. This makes political security and stability an untenable goal.
"We are tackling an ideological opponent with bombs rather than with intelligence" .... hmmmm .... that is so true.
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