[Peace-discuss] Kinzer: Surge Diplomacy, Not Troops, in Afghanistan

[C. G. Estabrook]

The problem is that the new administration is committed to this plan -- as they 
have said for a while.  It seems that a national debate would have to be quite 
vigorous -- involving a threat of civil unrest, as in 1968 -- to blunt the 
incoming administration's enthusiasm.

(The Pentagon Papers describe how the Pentagon told President Johnson in 1968 
that it could not send more troops to Vietnam and still have enough to control 
the US domestic population.  But we've not gotten to that point today.)

<http://www.stwr.org/the-un-people-politics/noam-chomsky-on-1968-/-vive-la-revolution.html>


Robert Naiman wrote:
> USA Today reports that Gen. McKiernan - top U.S. commander in
> Afghanistan - "has asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 soldiers,
> Marines and airmen" to augment U.S. forces. McKiernan says U.S. troop
> levels of 55,000 to 60,000 in Afghanistan will be needed for "at least
> three or four more years." He added: "If we put these additional
> forces in here, it's going to be for the next few years. It's not a
> temporary increase of combat strength."
> 
> We should have a vigorous national debate before embarking on this
> course. Contrary to what one might think from a quick scan of the
> newspapers, there are knowledgeable voices questioning whether
> increasing the deployment of U.S. troops to Afghanistan is in our
> interest, or is in the interest of the Afghan people.
> 
> Bestselling author and former longtime New York Times foreign
> correspondent Stephen Kinzer argues the opposite in this five minute
> video...
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/kinzer-surge-diplomacy-no_b_149364.html
> 
> http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/8/15317/1502
> 
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/38127
> 
> --
> Robert Naiman
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
> 
> Ambassador Pickering on Iran Talks and Multinational Enrichment
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=kGZFrFxVg8A
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