by Dalton Fury, Small Wars Journal Op-Ed
HUMINT Nature and the Jim Thyne Theory (Full PDF Article)
For the past several months I've had the great opportunity to insert my voice into the public debate about what in the world we should do about UBL. This question arose during a 6 hour interview taping for a 13 minute 60 Minutes episode, again during a short stint on Hannity's America, some time with Brain Kilmeade and Geraldo Rivera on FOX's The Strategy Room, during The Rachel Maddow Show, and again on CNN. Moreover, in between tapings, a half dozen print media interviews, and scores of radio stations that air across the nation, most recently The Laura Ingraham Show, asked the same question. All this because I was simply the guy who couldn't get the job done back at the beginning of the GWOT. So, my opinion and analysis is as good or bad as the next guys as we are all painfully aware -- UBL still thumbs his nose at us every day.
From my very far removed perspective of the battlefield where all assumptions are taken from open source developments, three key themes are at the top of my "to do list" to turn the tide on the war in Afghanistan. The first two are no-brainers and have been called for by numerous Think Tanks and dedicated analysts who are more talented and more "in the know" than I presently am. Negotiating with moderate Taliban and focusing US funding for Pakistan on the COIN fight even appears at the top of Secretary Gates' personal way ahead.
