:Q What do you think of what this guy says?
The military effort has moved out ahead of the diplomatic effort, with increasingly adverse consequences.
As a result, the United States now is losing the propaganda war. With an Afghan government of national unity yet to be established, U.S. bombing appears to be another foreign power beating up on the Afghans. The United States appears, to many in the Islamic world, to be at war with the Islamic world. In particular, angry Pakistanis are putting President Pervez Musharraf under growing pressure for his support of U.S. military operations. Musharraf now warns Washington that it may be creating a "quagmire," adding that "there has been, I think, a bit of excessive collateral damage."
Any positive message from Washington ? that all Afghans will be represented in the new regime, that the Taliban is a creature of radical Arabs, that no foreign troops will occupy the country, and that the United Nations will contribute mightily to reconstruct the war-torn land ? is being drowned out by reports of exploding ordnance and its devastating consequences.
The absence of a strong positive message coupled with the focus on bombing threatens to:
1. Taint any opposition to the Taliban as a tool of the United States. The American military is the most prominent active opposition to the Taliban, which makes the Northern Alliance appear to be subordinate to an outside power.
2. Bolster the Taliban as a valid national authority. Foreign invaders have been universally hated by Afghans of all stripes. Reports indicate that ethnic Pashtun volunteers from Pakistan are flowing to the aid of Kabul and that Taliban's domestic support has solidified in the face of the bombing campaign. In addition, Taliban leaders and soldiers are taking refuge in mosques, hospitals, and schools, thwarting efforts from the skies to degrade them.
3. Make the Islamic world increasingly hostile to U.S. military operations. Daily reports of errant bombing are putting increasing pressure on the governments of Islamic states, particularly Pakistan. Musharraf has called for a bombing halt and the suspension of operations during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month beginning in mid-November.
4. Create the false expectation in the U.S. media that the military campaign will produce the desired political outcome. The danger grows that the lack of military progress will increase calls in Washington for more military action, when facilitating an indigenous, all-ethnic opposition to the Taliban ? a diplomatic task ? remains the top requirement for a successful counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld now finds his continuing military operations treading water and awaiting progress on the diplomatic front, progress that the military operations themselves may be making more difficult.
October 31, 2001
The military effort has moved out ahead of the diplomatic effort, with increasingly adverse consequences.
As a result, the United States now is losing the propaganda war. With an Afghan government of national unity yet to be established, U.S. bombing appears to be another foreign power beating up on the Afghans. The United States appears, to many in the Islamic world, to be at war with the Islamic world. In particular, angry Pakistanis are putting President Pervez Musharraf under growing pressure for his support of U.S. military operations. Musharraf now warns Washington that it may be creating a "quagmire," adding that "there has been, I think, a bit of excessive collateral damage."
Any positive message from Washington ? that all Afghans will be represented in the new regime, that the Taliban is a creature of radical Arabs, that no foreign troops will occupy the country, and that the United Nations will contribute mightily to reconstruct the war-torn land ? is being drowned out by reports of exploding ordnance and its devastating consequences.
The absence of a strong positive message coupled with the focus on bombing threatens to:
1. Taint any opposition to the Taliban as a tool of the United States. The American military is the most prominent active opposition to the Taliban, which makes the Northern Alliance appear to be subordinate to an outside power.
2. Bolster the Taliban as a valid national authority. Foreign invaders have been universally hated by Afghans of all stripes. Reports indicate that ethnic Pashtun volunteers from Pakistan are flowing to the aid of Kabul and that Taliban's domestic support has solidified in the face of the bombing campaign. In addition, Taliban leaders and soldiers are taking refuge in mosques, hospitals, and schools, thwarting efforts from the skies to degrade them.
3. Make the Islamic world increasingly hostile to U.S. military operations. Daily reports of errant bombing are putting increasing pressure on the governments of Islamic states, particularly Pakistan. Musharraf has called for a bombing halt and the suspension of operations during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month beginning in mid-November.
4. Create the false expectation in the U.S. media that the military campaign will produce the desired political outcome. The danger grows that the lack of military progress will increase calls in Washington for more military action, when facilitating an indigenous, all-ethnic opposition to the Taliban ? a diplomatic task ? remains the top requirement for a successful counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan.
Rumsfeld now finds his continuing military operations treading water and awaiting progress on the diplomatic front, progress that the military operations themselves may be making more difficult.
October 31, 2001