Article published November 19, 2009
The ambassador’s view
KARL W. Eikenberry, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, has jumped into the fray over what happens next in that incorrigible nation with reservations about increasing the U.S. troop level there.
His argument makes sense to us, particularly because he has extra credibility. The retired U.S. Army lieutenant general served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, including as commander of U.S. forces.
Ambassador Eikenberry’s recommendation to President Obama was sent in a telegram from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, but it was only made public through a media leak. The disclosure precipitated a tirade of sorts from Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.
It is easy to understand why Mr. Gates would want to keep the Eikenberry option away from public attention. Reports indicate that he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with Gen. Stanley McCrystal, the current military commander, are pushing hard for raising the U.S. troop level by at least 30,000, to close to 100,000. Any public pressure to consider Mr. Eikenberry’s proposal runs counter to these recommendations.
At the same time, what argument is there for keeping discussion of this important policy matter outside the public purview? It is, after all, the lives of more of our soldiers that Mr. Gates and his cohorts want to put at risk, and billions of dollars more of our money that they would be spending, by escalating the war. Why shouldn’t there be a thorough discussion of these options?
One alternative that should be front and center on the table is the one that brings the war to an end. Administration officials say that Mr. Obama, in the Afghanistan discussions, has been asking where the “off-ramps” are for any strategy that might be adopted.
It sounds as if the President understands reality — that continuing to pursue this interminable, unaffordable, and ultimately unwinnable conflict would hurt the United States more than it would help.
Let’s hope he has the courage as commander in chief to carry it out.
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