Failure, Not Progress, in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

Failure, Not Progress, in Afghanistan
Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe
Producer, director, political activist
Posted: December 15, 2010 02:48 PM

On Thursday, December 16, 2010, the White House will use its December review to try to spin the disastrous Afghanistan War plan by citing "progress" in the military campaign, but the available facts paint a picture of a war that's not making us safer and that's not worth the cost.

Let's take a look at just the very broad strokes of the information. After more than nine years and a full year of a massive escalation policy:

# the insurgency continues to gain in size and strength,
# more U.S. troops are dying than ever,
# more civilians are dying than ever,
# violence in the country continues to spike,
# Pakistan is playing a double game with the U.S. and
# the military strategy lacks credible prospects for a turnaround.

And yet, we are told we can expect a report touting security gains and "progress," and that there's virtually zero chance of any significant policy change from this review. It sort of begs the question: just what level of catastrophe in Afghanistan would signal that we need a change in direction?

This cat is already out of the bag, no matter how hard the Pentagon tries to reel it back in. In the ironically named "Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan," published several weeks ago, the Pentagon told Congress that the insurgency's organizational and geographic reach are qualitatively and geographically expanding. This growth is reflected in other statistics. According to USA TODAY, U.S. troops were hit with 7,000 more attacks this year compared to last year. About 3,800 troops were killed and injured by IEDs, about 1,000 more than last year. These statistics depict an insurgency with unbroken momentum, despite administration and military claims to the contrary.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. But we're a can-do nation!

:shrug:

[NightWatcher]

2. Well duh, ask the Soviets how Afghanistan turned out for them

I guess we'll need another surge and ten more years of the military industrial profit complex dictating the war there.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. They just need More Troops, More Money, and More Time to find the Light at the end of the turnnel.

Just like in Vietnam and Iraq. Although the current FUBAR in Afghanistan (and Pakistan) more resembles The Little Big Horn.

[leftstreet]

4. "...$2 billion dollars spent per day on the war,"

That's so shocking that it's no longer shocking

K&R

Good piece

[Lasher]

5. Bush wars. Bush tax cuts.

Change you can believe in.