Matthew Hoh Interviewed By Zakaria: 60,000 Troops In Afghanistan Won't Defeat Al Qaida (VIDEO)

Matthew Hoh, a former Marine who served in Iraq, joined Fareed Zakaria on his CNN show today to discuss why he felt compelled to resign his diplomatic post in Afghanistan over the war. Hoh told Zakaria that he no longer believed in the mission, and that the war was not "worth our guys dying for":

If I believed that 60,000 troops in Afghanistan would defeat al Qaida somehow, which it won't, I would have stayed in Zabul province, which I've told everybody was the second best job I've ever had in my life. However, the other part of it, the administration was going to make its decision shortly, and then I would be stuck. And if I don't believe in it, if I don't think this cause is right, if I don't believe it's justified, then there's no reason to take that position.

Hoh called the strong reaction to his leaving "overwhelming" and said he never planned to be in the spotlight for this length of time. However, he's received such an "outpouring" of support from Afghan-Americans and active duty military members that he is determined to remain part of the conversation until it no longer "makes sense" for him to do so.

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Comments

[essbird]

Read this article on what the Soviets faced, if you think we should pursue a military goal in Afghanistan. If you still think so when you're done, then find your nearest military recruiter and sign up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29sebestyen.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

[donlee]

Obama can do whatever he thinks is right. He's the president so based on the facts, he should make a decision. People are going to have different goals and opinions.

Unfortunately, he's being the politician again and won't make a decision.

If he pulls the troops, then he is going to be labeled weak on defense so he is going to keep troops there.

And he won't send more troops, at least not until the election on Tuesday.

That's why I'm disappointed in Obama and regret voting for him. He won't get my vote again!

[Stephen C. Rose - Huffpost Blogger]

How can the President exit Afghanistan and not be seen as caving in on the war on terror?

First, the notion that he will not decide this is wrong. His taking of time has nothing to do with the elections in this country and everything to do with the mode of operation he always follows. He gets done what is possible to do. That is what politics is about. He is a good politician because most often he achieves what he says he wants to achieve.

I think every moment of delay is a victory for those who believe that we need to leave Afghanistan. The question is how. I think this is what he will eventually tell the Ameriican people with a step by step indication of how he intends to proceed.

The elements of such steps might well be 1. A gradual effort to provide support for development in areas where this is feasible; 2. outreach to the elements of the insurgency that are amenable to negotiation; 3. continued direct attacks on the actual centers of terror export ; 4. more and more emphasis on challenging the root political assumptions of religious fundamentalism about total domination of nations and regions; 5. and a frank calculation that our ultimate global interest lies in achieving a real recovery here, a work that has barely begun.

The President has proven a master at achieving wins where they are least expected. Don't write him off yet.

[sb250guy]

If Obama ends this war, it will be Bush's war. If he escalates it, it will be his.

[GranE]

Not quiet that simple. Bush started it, but President Obama now has to end it. In reality it is his since he is the Commander in Chief. Rotten mess to inherit isn't it?

[sherbug]

You seem to be able to see his dilemma and yet you still fault him for having to make a decision. What do the elections on Tuesday have to do with Afghanistan? If anything, I thought we would wait until the Afghanistan elections, but they have been cancelled and the Karzai Crime Family remain in power.

The war in Afghanistan makes no sense to a lot of us, but at the same time, we know that Obama cannot just pull out or he would be seen as weak on national security. That has been a brand of Democrats for a long time, and not for any good reason.

I do believe the longer he takes in deciding the narrower the mission will become.

Will you vote Republican next time? What is McCain had been President, the 40,000 troops would have been committed before McChrystal could finish his request and we would be there 10-20 years building a nation for the Karzai Crime Family to the tune of 1000 of lives and trillions of dollars.

Hopefully you will reserve judgment about Obama until the end of his first term and assess his body of work as opposed to each individual issue.

[1dogs2]

Hear, hear.

[howdyfromtexas]

What always makes me laugh is when you think we don't already considered you weak. I am your opposition, why do you care what I think. The right decicion is to pull them out.
That is why he was elected.

[essbird]

What election? It's been canceled.

[TN60]

I read Hoh's letter of resignation and found it to be very principled. I wouldn't doubt that his assessment and interview came directly from the White House. This tangled mess of Bush's War boondoggle must be one of the most agonizing messes the President has had to take "a mop" to. I think that the President has mostly made up his mind about Afghanistan and wouldn't be surprised if he comes down on Joe Biden's side in this matter and Hoh's statements sound like the WH speaking.

I can't know all of the intricate pieces of this puzzle. Only the President's security people do. He will do what he has to do to secure Pakistan, because I think he knows that there is no victory in Afghanistan.

A lot of people cry about the Afghan people. I could care a fig about the Afghan people. They can live in the 12th century forever, for all I care. Nation building there is a farce. Training a police/military is a farce. They will always be beholden to their tribal chiefs

What I do care a "fig" for, are our military and it is time to bring them home. What I do care for is, that nation building should start at home, here in the good old USofA. It is time to spend those zillions of "war machine" dollars here, putting people back to work and rebuilding our country for the 21st century before China takes all our jobs and manufacturing plants.

[donlee]

He's a quitter! That simple!

[ghostdance]

Sophomoric oversimplicity is what got us into this mess...excuse me, these messes

[sb250guy]

It's good to quit smoking.

It's good to quit stealing.

It's good to quit beating your wife.

And it's good to extract yourself from a pointless bloody exercise.

I could explain further but..... I quit!

[TN60]

Who's a quitter ???? Do you mean Palin ????

[1dogs2]

I agree with your comment except for your contemptuous dismissal of the Afghan people and failure to acknowledge the role the US played in fomenting war, tribalism and instability there, going back to Carter and Brzezinski, conduct that was greatly escalated by Reagan, and once the Russian troops withdrew, left Afghanistan with a totally destroyed infrastructure and no functioning government for the Taliban, whom we had supported and encouraged, to take over and run a repressive, fundamentalist regime. Have we no obligation to make amends for our meddling?

[TN60]

No, we have no obligation to the Afghan people. Maybe if they hadn't harbored Osama and given him free rein and helped him escape Tora Bora, then we might owe them something.

Our troops need to come home and let the poppy business rebuild the country. But, they like it the way it is, evidently.

[bluecub]

The last administration boogered this up so badly that we are left with NO good choices. What a sad situation we are in...

[roch20]

Good for him, I support and am happy with his decision, this so-called w.arr" is nothing more than a joke, which is helping only the rich. We are k.illing innocent civilians, but above all, our own soldiers; these men and women in uniform are d.ying and why; for the sake of oil, greed and power!

[AllenPapapetrou]

As has been pointed out many times: No foreign nation has been successful in Afghanistan. We won't either.

They are nomadic peoples who owe their allegiance more to their tribes than their nation. Long before we entered they were fighting each other and no matter when we leave they will continue fighting each other.

The only course of action is to LEAVE AFGHANISTAN NOW!!!
or
Stay and continue: TO KILL THE AFGHAN AND ALLIED PEOPLE AND GIVE OUR MONEY AWAY TO THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CORPORATIONS.

LEAVE AFGHANISTAN NOW!!!

[John Warren Gotsch]

Since Obama needs to be talking with everyone several times over, then talk to Vladimir Putin who demonstrated courage and leadership by leaving Afghanistan!

[WritusMaximus]

Putin was not in charge.

[roberto8ag]

I think President Obama is going to take a political decision about Afghanistan... that is, the wrong type of decision.

If that's the case, the US army is going to occupy Afghanistan for many years to come.


"War is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves." - Leo Tolstoy

[Tim303]

Oh man I hope not.

[mharg11]

I think some of you are missing the point about Afghan. First for 7 yrs. the previous adm. really did do anything but call off our troops when they had Al Quada in their sight. This fight could have ended almost as soon as it began. This is a fact and has been reported. Now we have Al Quada in Pakastan that has nukes and if we pull out, it will show other countries that the U.S. can't be counted on, especially Pakastan and India.

The Captain said troops are asking "why are we there, (Afghan)? I forgive them because they might have been 9 - 11 yrs. old on 9/11/2001 but most of you weren't. Ben Laden is why we are there and we can't fully pull out until we bring about a degree of stability to the region. We are not going to put an additional 60,000 troops there, but we will keep a strong presents to protect our troops and the region. Don't forget there are 2 countries with nukes, India is the second one.

Those that are yelling now, had 7 plus yrs to yell and didn't say a word. Remember 9/11/01.

[roberto8ag]

"Remember 9/11/01"

In Afghanistan there are a lot of 9/11's for Afghans.... drone attacks, etc.

But of course why would somebody care. They're not "americans."

I would like for President Obama apologize -personally- to the relatives of innocent civilians killed by the US army since the invasion started, and then leave the country.

[wordherd]

At this point we're doing more harm than good. And it will just get worse with escalation.

We are causing the instability in the region. We are wearing down our fighting people. We're borrowing billions of dollars to fund it. We don't understand the social dynamics of non-western countries.

It's time to seriously think about winding this one down.

[Antifascist-08]

You don't send thousands of our people off to war for revenge.

A few guys with box cutters manage to evade our inept CIA and the whole country is cowering in fear and seeking revenge, even when it id misguided.

If it makes you feel any better, we "won" in Afghanistan a long time ago.

NOw we are just bogged down trying to occupy another country that we don't understand.

[Raster]

So obviously our military should be in Pakistan, fighting their Taliban who are directly sheltering A; Qaeda?

[isaidit]

I still don't get thie deal about dire warnings about countries with nukes. We got nukes. We got more nukes than anyone else. We have used them more than anyone else. Why is our having nukes not supposed to be an issue for everyone else, but everyone else having nukes is an issue for us? I have yet to see a reasoned explanation for this warped point of view. And by reasoned, I don't mean rationalization, I mean reasoned.

[WritusMaximus]

From warped minds come warped attacks.

[Jeffreygeez]

The first guy to tell it exactly how it is, and explain it clearly.

[Michael Valentine]

Matt Hoh is a man of courage and conviction. A rare commodity these days, we should pay attention to what he has to say.

[diak0n0s]

You mean the President should pay attention.

[isaidit]

Nah. He's a Hoh.

[Zeebob]

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW!

A lot of insight from Matthew Hoh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EKSBBnzpE

[canuck4barack]

Also be sure to read his letter of resignation which is linked to here:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/fareed.zakaria.gps/

[treat2day]

NO EASY DECISION

for President Obama and his administration.

Pakistan has extremist that want the nukes but Afghanistan is the only neighbor we can occupy if Pakistan falls apart. India has calmed because of our occupation too. NATO needs more involvement so all the burden is not on American Soldiers.

This guys is no better than Glenn Beck and Rush using the media to bash America. This situation has always been an ignored war because of profiteers until Obama became president.

[LeLoup]

"bash America"??

The only thing Matthew Hoh is saying is that this war does not make sense. Where is the bashing America in there?

[treat2day]

WE GET THAT POINT---why is it necessary to do a speaking tour. Get a JOB.

[chiriqui]

Are you blocking the video or is CNN? I'm sitting here in the Republic of Panama and it doesn't load up?

[cavegal]

Works fine for me.

[isaidit]

The locks take time to fill and drain, fill and drain, so probably a bit slow arriving to you.

[BKFactor]

Why are we worried about Afghanistan when Afghanistan is in our own back yard?

My comments:
http://clevelandssecretclub.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-are-we-worrying-about-afghanistan.html

[yankee452]

It is a gut wrenching tragedy when a such an intelligent, morally sound warrior and diplomat has been pushed to such an extent where his only recourse is to tender resignation.

Kudos to him for explaining his decision. It must have been incredibly hard.

But I do hope he has an opportunity to reconsider.....( we need more men and women like him )

....that is of course if the President moves in the right direction for this nation, and Captain Hoh can re-engage.

The difficulty of the situation only illustrates why decisions must be made with the utmost consideration, care and purpose.

It is a work in progress - I am confident we have the right people in the right places.

[LeLoup]

I note that you don't even question continuation of our presence in Afghanistan in the 1st place.

Why should we stay there?