The American military colossus arrives in a fleet of helicopters which British lack. When US Marines air assaulted into a notorious Taliban stronghold in the south of Helmand Province – far south of positions the British have struggled to hold for three years – they arrived in a fleet of Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters . . .
The US military colossus has moved into Afghanistan’s most dangerous and turbulent province, moving troops, aircraft and armoured vehicles in numbers which British commanders could only dream of through their years of frustrating battle against a determined and deadly enemy . . .
The well-supplied Americans are in stark contrast to their British brothers-in-arms, whose shortages of armoured vehicles and helicopters are the subject of political arguments at home. . .
Then on July 2, the US Marines arrived – launching their biggest helicopter-borne assault since the Vietnam War . . . After replacing British troops in central Helmand districts such as Garmsir, the American Marine commanders were careful to praise their predecessors – and the sentiment is genuine.
Commanders say they did a “great job” or they were “fantastic”. But the praise is qualified by an acknowledgement they didn’t have enough resources. “The Brits did a phenomenal job,” said one senior officer. “They didn’t have a lot of people, they were a force of maybe three or four thousand I think, and we are coming in with 10,000 Marines, so we got a lot more to do a lot more things. We just have a lot more people.”
If only it were true. It’s all nostalgic in a way. How re-assuring to have Brits marveling once again at ‘Over here, over paid and over sexed’. Very Churchillian in a pico sense. The Austrian Corporal History Channel knows how to program this narrative. Plucky Anglo-Americans riding together a wave of (relative) American tactical material abundance in one far off province to . . . victory.
Except we all know, like Col. Kilgore, ‘Hamid don’t surf, Sir!’ This elaborate military theater and psychological manipulation is aimed at both the local populace and the Mayor of Kabul’s emissaries. Most of the Taliban, especially their most valuable foreign operatives, have already withdrawn or melted away. Intentionally for both sides. We remain skeptical that once all the theatrical sturm und drang fades the ‘central government’ [sic] can exert consensual civilian control over the region to engender meaningful loyalty.
More than at any time since 2001, American and NATO soldiers will focus less on killing Taliban insurgents than on sparing Afghan civilians and building an Afghan state.
“The population is not the enemy,” Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the commander of the Marines in southern Afghanistan, told a group of troops this week. “The population is the prize — they are why we are going in.”
To realize their goals, the Americans and their allies want to capture the area with a minimum amount of violence. American commanders say the attack on Marja is intended to be nothing like the similar size assault on the city of Falluja, Iraq, in November 2004. In that case, Falluja, under the control of hundreds of insurgents, was largely destroyed. The Americans killed plenty of guerrillas, but they did not make any friends.
“We don’t want Falluja,” General McChrystal said in an interview this week. “Falluja is not the model.”
At least there’s that.
Dr Leo Strauss says
From the Department of ‘If You Have To Ask’, the WaPo wonders if the Marines’ disregard for McChrystal and Petreus is smart.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/13/AR2010031302464.html?wprss=rss_print
Alex says
Re Gaffney: if that logo looks like anything, it looks a lot like the LockMart one. Which would be more than appropriate.
Comment says
Gaffney and about twenty percent of his fellow citizens are in deep with paranoia
Dr. Leo Strauss says
Frank Gaffney plants a flag in la-la land, per Josh and TPM:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/02/postcards_from_the_crazy.php?ref=fpblg
Dr Leo Strauss says
@Hunter
Hunter, modified the mobile interface again – thanks for the original kind words. Would be curious which version you (and everyone else) finds most useful and easy to use. Thanks!
Comment says
Despite our quietly sharing some of these critiques of Obama’s staff – we are somewhat re-assured that they are coming from DC insiders who are just feeling unloved and unwanted and jealous. Les Gelb once admitted that his failure to oppose any type of war was a weakness of his.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7034910.ece
Comment says
Interesting bit of cynicism:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/the-great-goldman-sachs-fire-sale-of-2008/?ref=opinion
Dr. Leo Strauss says
One can’t wait to hear how McChrystal will spin this. It’s not like 2011 is next year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Dr Leo Strauss says
Good work deserves attention, too — ISI finally helps capturing Taliban military commander:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/world/asia/16intel.html?hp
A shame it won’t change a whole lot beyond the short term. Still, an attaboy to all involved.
Comment says
Tweety revealed himself tonight when he repeatedly called “Joe” “The” “Plumber” a nothing and a nobody before McCain made him famous. No doubt that hollow man Tweety puts a great deal of importance on fame in his own self image. Also:
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2010/02/christopher-matthews-on-bill-clintons-heart.html
Comment says
Also – Some Torie Euroskeptics have a birther-type faction of xenophobes and blimps.
jamie says
“Comment, one wonders how many American winger consultants Cameron has on retainer”
AFAIK, he imports those from Australia, generally people who used to work for John Howard.
There is a lot of adaptive wingnuttery in the UK imported from the states, including a site set up specifically to hound the Groan’s Comment is Free slugfest (CIFwatch) and British winger blogs generally have something of an obsession with the paper. So its not too surprsing they piled in for a bit of poll manipulation bottom feeding.
RedPhillip says
As Chris Floyd said on his site Empire Burlesque http://www.chris-floyd.com/:
“[…]The embedded media tracked the countdown to the attack as if they were hunkered down in the landing craft on their way to Omaha Beach. Except, of course, when one is genuinely planning an actual major attack on a strong, entrenched enemy — as at Omaha Beach — one does not normally advertise it around the clock for weeks on end beforehand.
If, however, one is attempting to galvanize public support for a long, grinding, bloody war of domination and occupation that has no discernible purpose (none that can be stated in public, anyway), why then, a nice set-piece “battle” which will end in a guaranteed, low-cost “victory” is just the ticket. It will demonstrate that the “new and improved” strategy of your “new and improved” president is “working,” and that we are “winning” — so we can’t quit now!”
This would all be utter farce, except that countless civilians are trapped in Marjah — the Pushtun resistance has of course long since retired from the long-announced battlefield. General ‘Black Ops’ McChrystal was quoted as saying that he did not seek ‘another Falluja’. I guess he means that more buildings will be left standing.
Hunter says
Trenchant observations as always, but I just wanted to mention how much I like the mobile theme for the site… I’ve just now seen it and it’s eminently usable.
Dr Leo Strauss says
Comment, one wonders how many American winger consultants Cameron has on retainer – the Tories can’t help themselves. Some public school volunteers signing up to be ‘meme warriors’ against sofa politics and Labor energetically clicking away at Guardian online polls. Like they are taught by rough talking, grizzled twenty-something American veterans of the MSNBC and WaPo poll wars. As Vader might say, ‘Now the circle is complete . . .’
Comment says
Looks like the rightists are gaming this poll – There is no way 1/4 of Guardian pinkos miss Dubya
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/poll/2010/feb/11/george-bush-billboard-poll
Dr Leo Strauss says
Those piddly pinkos at the Guardian rain on the Independent’s Lord Kitchenerisms by pointing out the joint American-British intelligence on the ground 2010 is still . . . lacking.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/05/intelligence-afghanistan-cia-mi6
A bit of pants, right?