The Washington Independent » ahmed rashid

Yes, But Can She Say That in Urdu?

Spencer Ackerman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:41:15 +0000

“Our civilian commitment must continue even as our troops begin coming home,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this morning about the revised Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, reprising a theme of her testimony yesterday. She has said this for months, as has President Obama. And, for that matter, every relevant senior official has stated since at least March that the U.S. “will have an enduring commitment to Afghanistan” after the troops ultimately withdraw.

Well and good. The Pakistanis don’t believe it. From today’s New York Times:

“Is it in Pakistan’s interest to antagonize the Afghan Taliban now, if they will be in power two or three years down the road?” said Ahmed Rashid, author of “Descent Into Chaos,” explaining the thinking in Pakistani political and military circles. “Will the Americans actually deliver after the withdrawal, when the value of Pakistan decreases?”

“We will significantly expand, support and develop” aid to Pakistan, Clinton said that the hearing, “demonstrating” a commitment to Pakistan’s long-term well-being. Yet the message from Pakistan remains: We hate you; don’t leave us.

Why Would Anyone Think the Bush Administration Botched Afghanistan?

Spencer Ackerman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Politico reporters transcribe, you decide:

Cheney was asked if he thinks the Bush administration bears any responsibility for the disintegration of Afghanistan because of the attention and resources that were diverted to Iraq. “I basically don’t,” he replied without elaborating.

Right, and why follow that one up? It’s not like a high-profile Senate report demonstrated over the weekend that the Bush administration allowed Osama bin Laden to escape the battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, a crucial mistake that allowed al-Qaeda to regroup in Pakistan. It’s not like the Bush administration in 2002 refused to allow U.S. troops to perform peacekeeping operations that would have preserved the initial post-Taliban order, even as President George W. Bush issued an ultimately hollow promise for a new Marshall Plan in Afghanistan. It’s not as if later that year the Bush administration had its regional military commander focus intensely on an entirely elective second war fought for ultimately incorrect premises. It’s not as if security and governance deteriorated in Afghanistan for years while the Bush administration declined to increase troop levels or even focus on the Pakistani safe havens for al-Qaeda that the 2001 Tora Bora failure yielded, even as ground commanders publicly stated the war could not be won without dealing with them. And it’s certainly not like the Bush administration passed an unfinished war off to its successor in year eight amid record levels of insurgent violence.

None of that happened. That’s why Politico knows Dick Cheney would never lie to the American people or demonstrate poor judgment.

Obama’s Dinner With His Old Friends And His Potential South Asia Policy

Spencer Ackerman — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:26:01 +0000

On her excellent new Foreign Policy blog, Laura Rozen has a great scoop about a secret dinner last week between President-elect Obama at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars downtown. In attendance were Democratic foreign-policy wise man Lee Hamilton — whom, as Laura notes, has mentored many of Obama’s foreign policy advisers — and still-trusted aide/friend Samantha Power; and Iran scholar (briefly imprisoned by the regime) Haleh Esfandiari and Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, who might know more about South Asian politics than any other single person.

Obviously I wasn’t at the meeting, and no one would tell Laura what was discussed. But if Obama was trying to figure out what to do about Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India; what’s in America’s interest; and what’s in line with America’s values — well, then, those are four people it makes sense to break bread with.