The exit of McChrystal
by
Javed Hafiz |
The sacked general had his reservations about Afghan war plan
General Stanley McChry-stal, chief of international forces in Afghanistan was shown the door by President Obama. The general had made disparaging remarks about the president and his civilian team controlling the war in Afghanistan. This was clearly the outburst of a frustrated general. This was not the first time that a general had differed with his civilian bosses and would certainly not be the last. However, the way General McChrystal went about it was less than professional.
It was as if the general wanted to get out of the Afghanistan mess quickly in order to avoid the blame of defeat there. He made insulting remarks about Vice President Biden, Senator John Kerry, Special Representative Holbrooke, Secretary of Defence Robert Gates and National Security Adviser James Jones. His indiscretion hit everybody at the Capitol Hill except Secretary Clinton. About President Obama, he said that the president had felt intimidated in his first meeting with the top US military brass. He wanted to portray that the young and relatively inexperienced US president did not have full grip over military matters, at least in the beginning.
General McChrystal was hand-picked by President Obama last year for a difficult mission in Afghanistan. He was given additional troops but not as many as he had asked for. His mission was to beat Al Qaeda out of Afghanistan. He was also tasked to drive Taliban out of all major cities and replace them by Afghan national army and police. This objective has eluded the US and Nato forces as we have seen in Marja. All initial military gains in Marja were wasted as the Taliban re-emerged in that area. No wonder the much-touted operation in Kandahar had been postponed.
General McChrystal had his reservations about the way this war was being fought. His famous remark was that he was fighting the war with one hand tied. The war strategy announced by President Obama last year included a military surge and a withdrawal date. The general saw a contradiction there. He wanted an open ended war. President Obama could not afford that because of pressures of the American public. They have lost their patience with this “right war” as well. The unpopular war in Iraq, at least, had the support of the Jewish lobby. The war in Afghanistan has no lobby support. The neo-cons who supported it in Bush days are gone.
Afghanistan has become a very slippery ground for the Americans. In the first three weeks of the current month, they have lost 40 soldiers. Even President Karzai does not fully trust them. He saw an American hand behind an attack on a recent Jirga meeting arranged by him. President Karzai is more worried about his own political future. He wants to distance himself from the Americans. Karzai knows that after the allied forces have gone, the Taliban would still be a force to be reckoned with. So why not mend fences with the Taliban? US also does not fully trust Karzai. It is highly unlikely that he would commit his Afghan soldiers and police fully to the allied forces when the final pitched battles are fought in the coming months. The US allies like the UK and Canada are getting increasingly war weary. Voters in the UK and many other Nato nations want the soldiers back.
So General David Patraeus, the Centcom commander who replaces McCrystal, has a difficult mission. But he is the best choice for this critical responsibility. He has overseen this war from Washington and frequently visited Afghanistan and Pakistan. He would, therefore, be calling the shots soon after landing in Kabul. Any other commander would have taken long to settle into the job. This also indicates that President Obama takes this war very seriously. For a very senior general like Petraeus, this is some kind of a stepping down.
War is too serious an undertaking to be left to the generals alone. And in a democratic set-up the generals have to follow the orders of the civilian leadership, whether they like it or not. The President of the United States is the supreme commander. In this given situation, President Obama had no other choice. Sacking General McCrystal was a logical move. Institutions are indeed greater than individuals. Institutions are permanent while individuals are transient.
Even a great general like McChrystal is not indispensable if he gets too big for his boots. In that sense President Obama has sent the right and timely message. The war in Afghanistan may not be going too well for the United States but the course decided by the civilian and military leadership together has to be followed through. In democracies, the generals can express their reservations but not through the media. This distinguished general should have known that discretion indeed is better part of valour.
(Javed Hafiz is Pakistan’s former ambassador to the Sultanate)
Oman Tribune |
Other comment for Javed Hafiz
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