So the White House just released its much-anticipated review of our ongoing military efforts in Afghanistan (and Pakistan, mind you). And while President Obama, Bob Gates, and Hillary Clinton took pains to explain in a press conference on Thursday that "this continues to be a very difficult endeavor," it can also be very difficult to parse propaganda from, you know, the actual end of a modern war. But since this is a reasonably well-written document that the president's talking about here — and since it more or less outlines the past, present, and future of our troops' presence in region in a still-untidy five pages — it seems worthwhile to deconstruct the review line-by-line... and (white) lie-by-lie. Here goes.
The core goal of the U.S. strategy in the Afghanistan and Pakistan theater remains to disrupt, dismantle, and eventually defeat al-Qa'ida in the region and to prevent its return to either country.
Hard to argue with that — sensibly focused, worthy, and justified by both U.S. national security and our overall foreign policy goals in the region. Moving on...
Specific components of our strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan are working well and there are notable operational gains. Most important, al-Qa'ida's senior leadership in Pakistan is weaker and under more sustained pressure than at any other point since it fled Afghanistan in 2001.
Hey, good point! And demonstrably true — until that bomb goes off in Times Square and the new Al Qaeda HQ takes credit. Speaking of which...
In Pakistan, we are laying the foundation for a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and trust, through increased dialogue, improved cooperation, and enhanced exchange and assistance programs.
When you have to say it, the trust just ain't there. This do-gooder stuff in the badlands ranks pretty high on the BS meter by anyone's standards. Speaking of which...
Source: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/afghanistan-review-december-2010?src=rss
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