The McChrystal Fiasco

The replacement of General Stanley McChrystal with Iraq war hero Gen. David Petraeus as lead commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan has calmed some uncertainty of whether the West can succeed in Afghanistan (however you define success). As convenient as the appointment may seem, the McChrystal affair is not only another controversial topic in civilian-military relations, but it also sheds light on the friction between the Obama Administration's top national security advisors. Incidentally, this is evidence enough that the situation in Afghanistan is more grim than one may have previously perceived. With opposition to the war running rampant throughout the international community, the Obama Administration owes it to the world and the American people to explain why this truly is a "war of necessity."

For what it's worth. The Watcher has argued in favor of the war and will continue to do so. There is too much at stake for the foreign troops to pack up and leave. Such an action may lead Afghanistan to a civil war, which will drag in it's neighbors such as Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and India, vying for control and influence. Similarly, withdrawal will send a message to the Afghan people, terrorist organizations, and states currently fighting their own insurgencies that Western powers do not have the strategy or wherewithal to tackle such tasks. It will be a humiliating defeat. For the past year The Watcher has been advocating for a change in strategy in Afghanistan. McChrystal's COIN initiative was hailed around policy circles around the world, but The Watcher suggests that this strategy does not reach what lies at the core of true counterinsurgency. It is imperative that foreign troops recognize that they are not being outgunned by the Taliban, they are being outgoverned. The Afghan people will never recognize a government as oppressive and corrupt as Hamid Karzai's.

Unless Gen. Petraeus turns the focus of his COIN strategy on battling corruption before improving military operations, the Taliban will continue to be one step ahead in the game. Similar to what an Afghan official once said, "if thousands of operations are carried out it will make no difference so long as corrupt officials are in place."