General McChrystal's tacktless remarks in Rolling Stone magazine has drawn attention to the situation of war in Afghanistan and to the relationship betwen State and Defense departments in the Pentagon. McChrystal's replacement, General David Petraeus, and two of the nation's top civilian officials have decided to send genorators to Kandahar to support the war effort for new tactics in Afghanistan. However, a "perennial tug-of-war" plagues cooperation between civil and military objectives. The some military critics, thoroughly frustrated with the lack of civilian aid in the country are blaming civil leaders for the results of Afghani elections, which were quite possibly rigged. This dispute dangerously raises tensions between the two departments especially after McChrystal's antics and rumors of Ambassador Eikenberry's firing. Hopefuly, General Petraeus truly "understands the importance of civilian-military effort.
I agree with the decision to send generators to Kandahar, however, verbal attacks on the lack of support from civilians seems completely unjustified. The people in these countries are most likely terrified that any involvment with American forces will lead to their deaths one way or another. If there is supposed to be any hope for an end to this war both State and Defense departments are going to have to reach some sort of middle ground and compromise on issues currently facing these nations.
Article Referenced:
Lander, Mark. "Beyond McChrystal Lies a Bigger Tug of War." NYTimes. 2 July 2010. Web. July 2010.
We won't study foreign relations directly but it is important to understand the role the president and congress play in formulating policy. President Obama is the commander in chief and Congress controls the purse-strings!
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