Catholic Fire

General Stanley A. McChrystal, Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, is reportedly set to resign unless Barack Obama gets serious on the War in Afghanistan ("Obama's War"). McChrystal has informally sought to increase troop levels in Afghanistan. The general believes that the conflict is not winnable given the current troop strength. Previous Post: Obama Resists top Nato Commander's Call for Troop Increase in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama is resisting pressure from the Nato commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for a rapid troop increase and shift away from judging success in the war by the numbers of Taliban killed, following the leak of a confidential 66-page report from McChrystal to the Pentagon. The report says "success demands a comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign" that shifts the emphasis to protecting and winning support from ordinary Afghans so as not to be seen as an occupying army. But the general warns that Nato forces must be prepared for an escalating rate of casualties as they take greater risks to win over civilians. In a grim assessment of the situation, leaked to the Washington Post, the general says that task is being made more difficult by rampant Afghan government corruption and a hesitation by civilians to ally themselves with the authorities for fear that the Taliban might ultimately win. Read more here. This blows my mind. Why would the ...