Gates: Victory In Iraq And Afghan Wars Challenge But Achievable (VIDEO)

Al Jazeera:

In a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera's Abderrahim Foukara, Gates spoke about the US strategy for peace in Afghanistan facing a "war of necessity," the divide between two wars, fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pakistan's role in the region, the "threat" of a nuclear Iran, maintaining allies in the Middle East, and US ties with Latin America.

Read the whole story: Al Jazeera

Comments

[getoffmedz]

Afghanistan only country to defeat Russian Army.

Fact.

[alexa07]

Whether or not one agrees with Gates, the questions posed Al Jazeera's Abderrahim Foukara are much tougher than you would ever see from an interview on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, even BBC & certainly would never appear in any AP article. The Secretary was courteous, well-spoken in presenting the American point of view (just as many Israeli officials & pundits also appear on AJE), & we know that millions of viewers all over the world are watching AJE. (Not just in the Middle East, but across Asia, So. American as well as Europe.) The main question is how did they respond to Gates' comments, esp. in regard to who actually has nuclear weapons, has attacked viciously two of its neighbors since '06 & who is suspected of having them & has NOT attacked any of its neighbors. Hypocrisy, no matter how well-spoken, is evident is Gates' responses.

[arvay]

Well stated. The man is a smooth operator, but at bottom he's selling the same nonsense he did for Bush.

[getoffmedz]

It's his job.

[arvay]

Gates is talking absolute nonsense.

"We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition­."

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/75036.html

As the article cited indicates, the Taliban has the active support of many Afghans, just as the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had during Vietnam. Remember the My Lai massacre? Get set for more.

Russia just tried a scorched-earth approach to Chechen insurgency, declared victory, and the rebellion has continued.

Here are the real options.

We can either obliterate a significant portion of the Pashtun population on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border, making it clear that we'll embrace a policy of extermination if necessary -- or we can negotiate our way out of this.

Because when you're fighting against the population -- and the Pashtuns clearly don't want any more foreign armies on their soil -- they become your logical targets. I don't think Americans want to embrace that kind of "fight."

[Durango]

Certainly there is no military solution to Afghanistan. Only political solutions. And what I have heard is that all parties are positioning themselves for upcoming negotiations.

So we, the USA, may not be in as bad a position as nearly everyone here assumes.

Certainly the Taliban were created, financed and supported by the Pakistani military and ISI. That is fact.

It has also been reported that the Taliban have been supported by Pakistan for the past 8 years. In other words, Musharriff and the ISI played Bush/Cheney for the fools they are.

But it now appears that Pakistan has woken to the monster they created. And are successfully fighting the Taliban in their country. If this is true, where will the Afghani Taliban get their arms and supplies?

True guerrilla warfare is difficult. And any type of war takes prodigious amounts of arms and amunition. So if Pakistan is truly fighting their version and have turned off the supply tap the Taliban could be in serious trouble.

So I would not be surprised to see elements of the Taliban coming to the negotiating table. Soon.

Of course that depends on many elements. Primarily, Afghanistan having a legitimate government that can take on the Taliban politically. If the election is seen to have been stolen that would be bad, very bad.

But if not, I can see how this mess could be ended.

It worked in Nepal after all.

[Kaviraj]

First: To compare Nepal to Afghanistan is like comparing Switserland to Honduras. All these countries have mountains and that is the only thing they have in common.

Second: Nobody ever won a war in Afghanistan - history teaches lessons we all too soon forget. Many empires went broke on it and failed to conquer.

Third: To try and force a tribal society into democracy will be as successful as making an apple out of an orange. The infrastructure and physical realities forbid it.

Fourth: To think the Afghan Taliban will not be able to get any weapons is simply naieve. They do not need pakistan at all - Uzbekistand and other countries to the north will happily take over the role as arms suppliers.

Fifth: Gates' "staying the course" begins to sound as silly as when Bush declared the same. It will never work and nothing is doable there, simply because the population is completely hostile to the very idea.

Sixth: If bin-laden cannot be found that does not mean he is dead, but operationg from a different county, where the Western nations have absolutely no influence.

Seventh and last: Wishful thinking has never won any wars. It will also not win the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, regardless how many troops are sent to do the job. This is simply because no soldier will know the way in those mountains where donkey trails are the highways that cannot be detected if you don't know where to look.

[Durango]

First: History cannot tell us the future. History is a guide, it is not a determination.

Second: the killing and hatred in Nepal was overcome and bitter opponents shared power in a government. To compare Nepal to Afghanistan is appropriate. Or do you think there is some ethnic or racial reason Afghanistan cannot achieve peace?

Third: if you think Uzbekistan, who have their own worries about the Taliban would replace the Pakistani ISI, you haven't been paying attention.

Fourth: The war is going to end because nearly everyone in Afghanistan is sick of endless war.

Fifth: Where did I say anything about democracy? Legitimacy, yes. And how that is achieved is not up to me. Or you for that matter.

[Tunde15]

We have no business in Afghanistan. There are many places around the world where people are suffering and we certainly are not going to take that mission on as our assignment. We don't have the resources and can't afford it.

As for Gates, he is never going to admit outright that the war cannot be won. He gets paid to say he can do anything. So please lets not wait for an official admission from Mr. Gates. Gates is like a frog in a pot of cold water on a hot stove. He will gradually cook to death than admit that the war cannot be won. Let's get out now Mr. President. ENOUGH. This is a zero sum game: you can't spend America's treasures in Afghanistan and Irag and expect prosperity at home. ENOUGH.

[Durango]

we absolutely have business in Afghanistan.

After all it was us, the USA, who destroyed their country by arming and training the insurgents who fought the Soviets.

Using Afghanistan for our purposes.

And then abandoning them when things became difficult and complicated after the Soviets withdrew.

The Afghans have been used by everyone from India to the USA to Russia and most importantly Pakistan.

We sure owe the Afghani people. How we repay that debt is another question. But you cannot simply go into a country, tear it to pieces for your purposes, and then walk away.

[getoffmedz]

When you going to Afghanistan to straighten things out?

[Norge]

There is dumb and then there is dumber.

[tapeatsbill]

Hey we just had a banner years in arms sales!!!! Quit now - hell no! Times are good!!!

[AllenPapapetrou]

No matter how long we stay in either Iraq or Afghanistan after we leave the locals will fight for power. Just as they did before.

So leave now and stop our involvement in killing and stop the flow of dollars.

[Durango]

Tried that after the soviets left in 89.

Who did that work out for the world?

Not so well as I recall.

[S1m0n]

Think Obama's got goosebumps or a chill up the back of his neck?

He should, because the defense secretary just teed up to stab him in the back. Notice the careful way he frames this otherwise routine denial:

'Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Gates said firmly: "I don't believe that the war is slipping through the administration's fingers."' [via the beeb http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8237238.stm ]

Did you catch it? It's the administration's war all of a sudden. Gates is washing his hands, and it's a pretty good indication that he doesn't believe the denial he just gave. The endgame has begun.

[jer9848]

Afghanistan is a money pit we can not afford now.

[Durango]

Nobody in history ever lost a war because of the lack of money.

Resources are another story.

But money is not the issue.

[ultrabop]

What an A-hole.

[Macready]

duh . . . he must be in total denial

[pseudochristians]

sure mr. gates.

[Academic]

Dream on. We Brits thought the same thing over two centuries and three wars there to subdue them, this at the height of our empire - we didn't and only succeeded in leaving the bleached bones of our courageous soldiers there. The Soviets tried also and failed, and the US Empire will too. Believe me.

This the US Empire and his court already know but they'll hang on long enough to ensure that the multinationals and the arms industries make a sufficient killing before they pull out.

Bad news for the poor squaddies who will lose their lives in the interim.

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[ModernTimes1]

This sad case created 200 sock puppet fans for himself. How pathetic.

BTW AcademicNIOT,.
Real academics use either a 'doctor' or 'professor' in the title.
Only sad impostors without any claim to either use both.
Lemme guess, public library computer, Am i right?