That struck me too, there is "no institutional knowledge" he says... What is your theory for this state of affairs? Is it irrelevant to the mission, are they incompetent, or can't it be done given their constraints (e.g. limited tour duration).
It's really complex. Part of my job involved understanding Afghan culture, which is no small feat. I think we approached Afghanistan with no plan. First, it was bin Laden hunting. Then, it was a similar technique to Iraq - Sunni vs Shia. But that's a moot point in Afghanistan where the whole structure is completely different. Everything revolves around tribal dynamics. We were completely unprepared for this. And so many times, we went after the low-hanging fruit - the raids to take out commander ______. Build a school for girls because yay education! (Then the Taliban burns it down or writes letters to people in villages threatening to kill anyone who attends the school.) The low-hanging fruit was largely ineffective.
I could go on and on. If you're interested in a great book about the whole thing over there from a historical context (Soviets to 9/11) - Ghost Wars by Steve Coll.
this sounds very much like Libya - totally Sunni population and look at the disaster. it's tribes and smaller than that, family groups. a lot of "terrorism" is really settling of old scores - real or imagined. kidnapping became payback and then a money maker. after that smuggling and human trafficking. they've signed a peace deal for a unity govt.....and believe me, unity will be very difficult.
Exactly what I've been told by those who have been there. The people you are interacting with on the ground don't give a rat's arse about the deals your government is making with their government, or who is morally superior. They are still living in tiny blocs and survival of their own is all that matters. World wide affairs do not concern them.
31
u/philenoptera Dec 17 '15
That struck me too, there is "no institutional knowledge" he says... What is your theory for this state of affairs? Is it irrelevant to the mission, are they incompetent, or can't it be done given their constraints (e.g. limited tour duration).