WSJ’s embedded comment in this opinion piece states that “…Biden and Trump share responsibility for the looming defeat (in the Afghanistan War)….” This statement is contrafactual in the extreme. In fact, the War in Afghanistan has had many individuals who failed our country in their policy stances and decision-making regarding the War in Afghanistan.
The War in Afghanistan reminds me of David Halberstam’s book titled “The Best and the Brightest.” This book records the decisions and actions taken by JFK’s key advisors during the Vietnam War: Robert McNamara (Secretary of Defense), McGeorge Bundy (National Security Advisor), Dean Rusk (Secretary of State), Walt Rostow, George Ball (Undersecretary of State), and John Mc Cone (Director, CIA). Ego was clearly the enemy for these advisors.
The War in Afghanistan has a similar cast of characters, only a lot more of them. From the beginning of the War in Afghanistan in October 2001 until the present day, America has had four presidents (Bush 43, Obama, Trump, and Biden); eight secretaries of defense (Rumsfeld, Gates, Panetta, Hagel, Carter, Mattis, Esper, and Austin); and ten Central Command (CenCom) commanders (Franks, Abizaid, Fallon, Dempsey, Petraeus, Allen, Mattis, Austin, Votel, and McKenzie). This latter group comprises seven generals, two lieutenant generals, and one admiral. Please note that Messrs. Mattis and Austin were CenCom commanders and, then, later appointed secretaries of defense.
I do not remember any of the latter two groups ever publicly stating that staying in Afghanistan after ousting the Taliban and Al Qaeda in 2001-2002 was a strategic mistake. History has shown that winning a war in Afghanistan is not possible, given the experience of the British and the Russians, and now the United States. What a terrible waste of lives, treasure, and foreign policy capital. With the clarity of hindsight, we now can say that political and military integrity and character went AWOL for 20 years. The ending of the war we are seeing today is easily understood in that light.
External Link: https://www.supersummary.com/the-best-and-the-brightest/summary/
Internal Link: https://whitebeardwisdom.com/re-the-longest-war-needs-fresh-thinking-wsj-april-17-2019/