What does US Commander's resignation say about war in Afghanistan?
The resignation came on the heels of a dust up with US President
Barack Obama over the General's harsh words for the Obama
administration's handling of the war.
The rift began when an article in Rolling Stone magazine quoted
McChrystal as describing as 'painful' the period last fall when the
President was weighing the decision to deploy additional troops to the
war torn country.
Former Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan
General Stanley McChrystal |
The general said the president seemed ready to put him in an 'unsellable'
position and also criticized members of Obama's administration in the
article.
Obama accepted McChrystal's resignation and in a televised speech
from the White House said "all Americans should be grateful for General
McChrystal's remarkable career in uniform."
"But war is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a
General, or a President. And as difficult as it is to lose General
McChrystal, I believe that it is the right decision for our national
security."
"The conduct represented in the recently published article does not
meet the standard that should be set by a Commanding General. It
undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of
our democratic system."
Barmak Pazhwak, program officer at the US Institute of Peace, said
the General's resignation could disrupt US efforts in Afghanistan in the
short term. The rift also shows the status quo is unacceptable and that
the war effort is moving in the wrong direction, he said.
"Even the General is not happy with the way things are going in
Afghanistan, with the way probably he received support from his
superiors," he said.
Nathan Hughes, director of military analysis at global intelligence
company Stratfor, said the US strategy is beginning to show cracks.
Nevertheless, the installment of Gen. David Patraeus', who has been
chosen as successor, demonstrates continuity, as the CENTCOM commander
has been involved in shaping the counter insurgency strategy used in
Afghanistan, he said.
Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst at the CATO Institute, said
McChrystal is by no means irreplaceable. Even so, the Taliban, which
believes it already has the upper hand, could use the rift to its
advantage.
"The situation with McChrystal will strengthen the Taliban's
propaganda offensive, as they can point to weaknesses in the coalition's
unity of effort and execution of strategy," she said.
In spite of the shift in leadership, the General's replacement is
unlikely to force a change in strategy, as Obama has embraced
counterinsurgency efforts, she said. The United States will soon have
more than 100,000 troops in the country, on top of the 40,000 from
allies.
Innocent believes the war is unwinnable and that this episode is a
sidebar to a deeper issue - "that Afghanistan does not constitute a
vital interest to the United States. McChrystal's capacity to wage this
war was hampered from the beginning," she said.
An article on the Web site of global intelligence company Stratfor
noted the current split is not the first between a Commanding General
and the White House. More than 50 years ago, President Harry Truman
faced off against Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War.
MacArthur expressed contempt for Truman, his Commander-in-Chief,
demonstrating "complete disregard for the chain of command as well as
the fundamental US held principle of civilian control of the military,"
Stratfor wrote.
He refused to subordinate his military strategy for Korea to the
larger political strategy of the early Cold War period. Ultimately
Truman has no choice but to sack him in April 1951, Stratfor wrote.
"The senior leadership in Afghanistan and CENTCOM appears to view the
campaign as a self-evidently urgent fight and the American priority of
the day," Stratfor wrote.
"Such a view leaves the Afghan campaign unconnected to the broader
strategic interests of the United States. It paints a picture of a
leader who does not view his command and its challenges as a piece of
the problem but as the whole of the problem, requiring all available
resources and no civilian interference, even from the
Commander-in-Chief," Stratfor wrote.
"In this way there is indeed a parallel with MacArthur, who could not
understand that Korea could not be treated as the center of the Cold War
but only as a subordinate theater," Stratfor wrote. Xinhua |