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A policy in search of a strategy
Global Village Space |
Syed Ali Zia Jaffery |
After endless deliberations, bickerings, and dithering, President Trump got the cat out of the bag; the new South Asia policy was announced in his first address to the nation as the Commander in Chief of US forces on Monday. Pandering to his generals, the President ratified the deployment of additional troops; slammed Pakistan, and asked India to play a greater role in stabilizing Afghanistan.
Trump did not lay out a strategy but signed a memorandum for a new, directionless and protracted war which will eventually harm those whom Trump vowed to protect
The President admitted that he always thought that this war was wasteful but things look different from behind the Oval Office. The ever-worsening security profile in Afghanistan since March this year had compelled Trump to outsource the Afghan policy to the Pentagon. The chatter was indicative of the fact that the policy will be military-heavy.
Read more: The US in Afghanistan: A tale of follies & miscalculations
No clear-cut objectives
Trump gave out vague details of the new strategy on purpose. He said that the enemy must not know our plans; troop levels and timing of attacks. The surprise is certainly a principle of war, but untenable in this day, age, and type of war. Officials say that some 3,900 troops will be added to the already-8,400 under General Nicholson’s command. Trump said that the new policy will have no time frame. “We will fight to win,” said Trump.
The author is reticent to call this a strategy for it has no time-specific military objectives. The desire for elusive and evasive victory without spelling-out a desired end-state will convert this into a long-drawn campaign. Trump said that after the military situation becomes favorable, a room can be created for a political dialogue.
“We believe that the international community should fully recognize Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry
This idea is inherently flawed due to two conspicuous reasons. One that the dynamics on the battlefields are not likely to change in favor of US and Afghan forces. The US, with a penchant of applying military power disproportionately, will not be able to obliterate the war-fighting resolve of the Taliban and the ISIS-K for that matter. Even at the tactical level, the US war-fighting approach is flawed; additionally, the lack of follow up at the political, social and diplomatic levels will make these firefights ineffective.
Read more: The bloodbath in Afghanistan continues unabated
Trump categorically stated that we are not building a nation. The 2010-troop surge was unable to alter the milieu on the battlefields; the gargantuan expectations from a modest increase in troop level are delusional at best.
If the US plans to wear-out the Taliban by militarily destroying them to us an extent that it comes to the negotiating table, then it is mistaken. The Taliban reported right after Trump’s speech and vowed to make Afghanistan a graveyard for the US forces. If the track record of the Taliban is any guide then General Nicholson and his under-command will have to rough it out soon.
How ‘not’ to compel Pakistan
The US, by the looks of things, will try to create and stoke up Sino-Indo rivalry in the Afghan theatre in a bid to forestall the still-nascent influence of Beijing in Afghanistan
As expected, Trump flayed Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists. He alluded to a new approach toward the troubled ally in Pakistan. “We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.”
Read more: Trump’s Afghanistan strategy is simply old wine in a new bottle
Though Trump talked tough on Pakistan, he did not dish out details as to how the US will compel Pakistan to change its course of action. If chatters are anything to go by, Pakistan may be deprived of its Most Non-NATO Ally status; it could also be declared a state sponsor of terrorism. Besides, the US could beef up its drone campaign. “That will have to change and that will change immediately,” Trump said while referring to the need to twist Islamabad.
Pakistan Army has repudiated all accusations repeatedly and has called upon the international community to acknowledge the sacrifices of the country in the fight against terror.
Read full article.........
A policy in search of a strategy
Global Village Space |
Syed Ali Zia Jaffery |
After endless deliberations, bickerings, and dithering, President Trump got the cat out of the bag; the new South Asia policy was announced in his first address to the nation as the Commander in Chief of US forces on Monday. Pandering to his generals, the President ratified the deployment of additional troops; slammed Pakistan, and asked India to play a greater role in stabilizing Afghanistan.
Trump did not lay out a strategy but signed a memorandum for a new, directionless and protracted war which will eventually harm those whom Trump vowed to protect
The President admitted that he always thought that this war was wasteful but things look different from behind the Oval Office. The ever-worsening security profile in Afghanistan since March this year had compelled Trump to outsource the Afghan policy to the Pentagon. The chatter was indicative of the fact that the policy will be military-heavy.
Read more: The US in Afghanistan: A tale of follies & miscalculations
No clear-cut objectives
Trump gave out vague details of the new strategy on purpose. He said that the enemy must not know our plans; troop levels and timing of attacks. The surprise is certainly a principle of war, but untenable in this day, age, and type of war. Officials say that some 3,900 troops will be added to the already-8,400 under General Nicholson’s command. Trump said that the new policy will have no time frame. “We will fight to win,” said Trump.
The author is reticent to call this a strategy for it has no time-specific military objectives. The desire for elusive and evasive victory without spelling-out a desired end-state will convert this into a long-drawn campaign. Trump said that after the military situation becomes favorable, a room can be created for a political dialogue.
“We believe that the international community should fully recognize Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry
This idea is inherently flawed due to two conspicuous reasons. One that the dynamics on the battlefields are not likely to change in favor of US and Afghan forces. The US, with a penchant of applying military power disproportionately, will not be able to obliterate the war-fighting resolve of the Taliban and the ISIS-K for that matter. Even at the tactical level, the US war-fighting approach is flawed; additionally, the lack of follow up at the political, social and diplomatic levels will make these firefights ineffective.
Read more: The bloodbath in Afghanistan continues unabated
Trump categorically stated that we are not building a nation. The 2010-troop surge was unable to alter the milieu on the battlefields; the gargantuan expectations from a modest increase in troop level are delusional at best.
If the US plans to wear-out the Taliban by militarily destroying them to us an extent that it comes to the negotiating table, then it is mistaken. The Taliban reported right after Trump’s speech and vowed to make Afghanistan a graveyard for the US forces. If the track record of the Taliban is any guide then General Nicholson and his under-command will have to rough it out soon.
How ‘not’ to compel Pakistan
The US, by the looks of things, will try to create and stoke up Sino-Indo rivalry in the Afghan theatre in a bid to forestall the still-nascent influence of Beijing in Afghanistan
As expected, Trump flayed Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists. He alluded to a new approach toward the troubled ally in Pakistan. “We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.”
Read more: Trump’s Afghanistan strategy is simply old wine in a new bottle
Though Trump talked tough on Pakistan, he did not dish out details as to how the US will compel Pakistan to change its course of action. If chatters are anything to go by, Pakistan may be deprived of its Most Non-NATO Ally status; it could also be declared a state sponsor of terrorism. Besides, the US could beef up its drone campaign. “That will have to change and that will change immediately,” Trump said while referring to the need to twist Islamabad.
Pakistan Army has repudiated all accusations repeatedly and has called upon the international community to acknowledge the sacrifices of the country in the fight against terror.
Read full article.........
A policy in search of a strategy
