If the guerrillas can be isolated from the population, i.e., the 'little fishes' removed from 'the water,' then their eventual destruction becomes automatic...
--Sir Robert Thompson
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
Facing Language Gaps and ‘Flying Trucks,’ US Trains Afghan Pilots - Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times
Col. James A. Brandon flew Black Hawks when Moscow was considered a mortal foe of the United States and spent years in the Army studying enemy aircraft. So he now finds it a little bizarre to be piloting an old MI-17 Russian helicopter, a legacy of the Soviet invaders here, in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan.
But in a case of going to war with not just the military you have, but the military your enemy once had, Colonel Brandon is a leader of a bumpy American effort to build an Afghan Air Force from the wreckage up. To do that as quickly and (relatively) cheaply as possible, the United States is training American pilots to fly the helicopters of the former Soviet Union - Colonel Brandon calls them “flying trucks” - so the American pilots can in turn train, or retrain, Afghan pilots who once flew for the Russians, the Taliban or powerful warlords.
More at The New York Times.
IRAQ
Obama Lays Out Iraq Plans at NC Base - Anne E. Kornblut and Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post
President Obama called on Iraqis to take control of their own destiny when American forces withdraw, mapping out plans on Friday for a dramatic reduction of US troops by the end of August 2010.
In a speech to service members received with a mixture of cheers and muted applause, Obama declared that an end to the combat mission in Iraq is on the horizon. "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," Obama said.
The time frame is longer than Obama promised during his presidential bid, and Obama pledged to "proceed cautiously" and to closely consult military commanders, but under his plan, roughly 100,000 troops would exit Iraq by mid-2010. Another 35,000 to 50,000 would remain to help provide security and training -- and, most importantly, counterterrorism operations and advisory missions, which military officials note may include combat.
More at The Washington Post.
With Pledges to Troops and Iraqis, Obama Details Pullout - Peter Baker, New York Times
President Obama declared the beginning of the end of one of the longest and most divisive wars in American history on Friday as he announced that he would withdraw combat forces from Iraq by August 2010 and all remaining troops by December 2011.
The decision, outlined before thousands of camouflage-clad Marines here, underscored the transformation in national priorities a month after Mr. Obama took office as he prepared to shift resources and troops from increasingly stable Iraq to increasingly volatile Afghanistan.
But it also marked a sharp change in America’s attitude about Iraq after years of wrenching debate over war and peace. Despite some grumbling on the left and right, Mr. Obama’s pullout plan generated support across party lines on Friday, including from his rival in last year’s election and advisers to his predecessor, indicating an emerging consensus behind a gradual but firm exit from Iraq.
More at The New York Times.
Soldiers in Iraq React Cautiously to Obama Deadlines for Troop Withdrawal - Steven Lee Meyers, New York Times
Soldiers here at this dusty base in one of Iraq’s most volatile provinces knew that at some point, the American war would end, but few here said they thought it would happen anywhere close to the deadline President Obama announced Friday.
“At some point, we have to draw a line,” Sgt. First Class Michael C. Miller said as he waited, for hours, for a helicopter ride that never came because of winds that churned fine dust into the sky. “But I still think they need our help.”
President Obama’s plan echoed those sentiments, but the resoluteness of his deadlines - removing American combat troops by Aug. 31, 2010, and the rest by the end of 2011 - still caught some by surprise.
More at The New York TImes and:
Obama Announces Iraq Exit Plan - Voice of America
Obama Sees Most Troops Out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010 - Los Angeles Times
Democrats Dismayed by Obama's Decision to Leave Troops in Iraq - The Times
Obama to End US Combat Operations in Iraq by 2010 - Daily Telegraph
US Combat Troops to Leave Iraq by August 2010, Obama Says - AFPS
Iraq Withdrawal Plan in Factors and Figures - Los Angeles Times
Iraq Drawdown Decision Process Included Commanders, Gates Says - AFPS
Iraq’s Year of Living Dangerously - Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack, Brookings opinion
The Iraq war isn’t over. And while President Obama’s apparent decision to withdraw the bulk of American troops by August 2010 is not necessarily a mistake, it cannot be carried out rigidly. If all continues to go well, it should be eminently feasible; if not,the administration will have to show the strategic wisdom to slow down as needed to deal with problems.
Having just returned from a trip to the country arranged by the top American commander there, Gen. Ray Odierno, we agree that Iraq continues to make tremendous strides, thanks to American assistance and, increasingly, the efforts of Iraqi politicians and security forces. But both those ready to dust off the infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner and declare victory and those who continue to see Iraq as an inherent disaster that must simply be abandoned have to realize that continued American involvement will be crucial for several more years.
More at Brookings and:
Time for Iraq - Washington Post editorial
Obama's Plan for Iraq - Washington Post opinion
MORE NEWS AND OPINION
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Hope is Victory in Afghanistan, PRT Commander Says - AFPS
New Roads to Open Up Eastern Afghanistan Province - AFPS
Reports that Afghan Mosque Hit Spark Riot - Associated Press
Pakistan
Pakistan’s Political Rift May Pose Test for Obama - New York Times
Protests Continue on Sharif Ban - BBC News
Playing With Fire in Pakistan - New York Times editorial
Iraq
Iraqi President Meets With Iranian Officials in Tehran - Voice of America
Iraqi, Coalition Forces Develop Job Opportunities for ‘Sons of Iraq’ - AFPS
Regional Courthouse Ready to Serve Justice in Iraq - AFPS
Nightlife Returns as Baghdad Becomes Secure - The Times
An End to Baghdad's 'Dark Era' - Washington Post
The Long War
Criminal Charges Said to Be Set for 'Enemy Combatant' Marri - Washington Post
Terrorism Suspect Headed to US Court- Washington Post
UN Official Faults Evidence - New York Times
The War on Drugs
Hill Targets Mexico Drug Feuds - United Press International
Drug Trade Seen as Threat to US - Associated Press
Drug Gangs Make Africa the New Smuggling Hub - The Times
Drug Cartels Target Sierra Leone - Daily Telegraph
Taking on the Drug Cartels - Los Angeles Times editorial
Mexico Is in Free Fall - Real Clear World opinion
The War We Gave Mexico - Los Angeles Times opinion
A No-win 'War on Drugs' - Los Angeles Times opinion
US Department of Defense
Defense Secretary Confident With Proposed Budget Share - AFPS
President’s Budget Proposal Includes 2.9 Percent Pay Raise for Troops - AFPS
United Nations
US to Skip Racism Summit - Washington Times
US May Boycott UN Racism Conference - Washington Post
US May Boycott Racism Conference - BBC News
Africa
South Sudan Clashes 'Killed 50' - BBC News
African Nations Pledge to Press for Aid to Zimbabwe - Los Angeles Times
Zimbabwe: Mugabe Birthday Party to Cost $250,000 - Daily Telegraph
Mugabe Prepares Lavish Birthday - BBC News
Zuma Dismisses New South Africa Challenge - BBC News
Prosecutors Rest Case Against Former Liberian President - Voice of America
Rwanda Priest Jailed for Genocide - BBC News
Moroccans Jail Key Bomb Suspect - BBC News
Americas
Colombia Captures Farc Kidnapper - BBC News
Ill Castro 'Takes Walk in Havana' - BBC News
Multinational Exercise to Test Interoperability in Caribbean - AFPS
Asia Pacific
China Hits Back at US Criticism on Human Rights - Daily Telegraph
South Korea: North Testing Radar, Ahead of Planned Launch - Voice of America
Police Shoot Tibetan Monk Who Set Self on Fire - Washington Post
ASEAN Summit Faces Numerous Challenges - Los Angeles Times
Middle East
Obama Outlines Broader Mideast Policy - Voice of America
Clinton Cautious on Palestinian Reconciliation Efforts - Voice of America
Netanyahu Fails to Woo the Kadima Faithful - The Times
Netanyahu Fails to Bring Livni's Party Into Unity Government - Washington Post
Livni Shuns Netanyahu Coalition Offer - Associated Press
No Deal in Israel Coalition Talks - BBC News
'Hamas Is Incompatible With Peace' - Washington Post opinion
South Asia
UN Security Council Fight for Sri Lanka - The Times
Toll in Bangladesh Mutiny Rises to 66 - Associated Press
Mass Graves Found After Bangladesh Mutiny - Daily Telegraph
Mass Grave Found After Bangladesh Mutiny - New York Times
Inside Bloody HQ at Heart of Bangladesh Mutiny - The Times
New Bangladesh 'Mass Grave' Found - BBC News
Bangladesh Army Backs Government - BBC News
BOOKS
The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose - Anthony Zinni and Tony Koltz
The intellectual complement to Zinni and Clancy's bestselling Battle Ready (2004), a narrative memoir salted with specific policy recommendations, this volume provides the former US Central Command chief's analysis of America's current global position. Zinni begins by asserting that America's status as "the most powerful nation in the history of the planet" has created a de facto empire. The US has no choice: if it fails to take the lead, nothing significant happens. At the same time, Americans must recognize that, in a global age, there can be no zero-sum games.
The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education - Craig Mullaney
The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book - universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire - a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.
Great Powers: America and the World after Bush - Thomas P.M. Barnett
In civilian and military circles alike, The Pentagon’s New Map became one of the most talked about books of 2004. “A combination of Tom Friedman on globalization and Carl von Clausewitz on war, [it is] the red-hot book among the nation’s admirals and generals,” wrote David Ignatius in The Washington Post. Barnett’s second book, Blueprint for Action, demonstrated how to put the first book’s principles to work. Now, in Great Powers, Barnett delivers his most sweeping - and important - book of all.
The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One - David Kilcullen
A remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated "small wars" across the globe: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Chechnya, Pakistan and North Africa.
The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 - Thomas Ricks
Thomas E. Ricks uses hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with top officers in Iraq and extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to document the inside story of the Iraq War since late 2005 as only he can, examining the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began.
Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned - Rufus Phillips
Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.
Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq - Peter Mansoor
This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.
The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around - and the choice now facing America. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.
Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.
The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam - Harold Moore and Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.
In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.
Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.
