[Peace-discuss] What the Debate Missed on Afghanistan: Brits Say Talk to Taliban

Thu Oct 9 14:39:03 CDT 2008

Excellent point, Ricky, about the native tribes vs. the colonists as
parallel to all the resisting parties in the Middle East, from Palestinians
to Pakistanis, including Iraq and Iran. Still Gen. Petreaus' comment is
pretty amazing, as it raises a doubt (even if it was unwitting on his part
to do so) about what we are doing in any and all of those places, from deep
within the Green Zone. Barbara Kessel

On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 12:01 PM, Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>wrote:

> This is a very useful statement by Petraeus, and we ought to spread it
> around.  It's mainly useful because it comes from outside the anti-war camp.
>  But Carl's comments are worth remembering, too.
>
> And one more - the Afghans we are fighting in Afghanistan are indigenous,
> unlike the English *colonists* in North America who rebelled against their
> "Mother Country" (mainly as a continuation of longstanding conflicts within
> English society about the "rights of Englishmen", not against belonging to
> the British Empire, per se, except for some of the rabble called to die for
> their betters again.)  The "terrorists" from Iraq to Afghanistan are more
> like the rebellious Seminole, Lakota, Apache, and others  attempting to
> defend their land from the "early Americans".  But that message still
> doesn't play too well - wonder why?
>
>  Ricky
>
>
> "Only those who do nothing make no mistakes." - Peter Kropotkin
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu>
> To: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com
> Cc: peace discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
> Sent: Thursday, October 9, 2008 11:09:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] What the Debate Missed on Afghanistan: Brits
> Say Talk to Taliban
>
> Petraeus is of course an instrument of American murder in the Middle East
> --
> done in the interests of the small group who own this country -- and
> therefore
> certainly a thug.
>
> But of course the thuggishness of the leaders of the American revolution is
> hard
> to deny. An example that recently came to my notice were some comments on
> the
> post-war demands of Daniel Shays' veterans, who so frightened the upper
> classes
> that they wrote the anti-democratic constitution of 1787 with a central
> executive to keep the lower orders in their place:
>
>   --Samuel Adams said that the economic protests were the result of British
> emissaries acting as outside agitators; he helped draw up a Riot Act, and a
> resolution suspending habeas corpus, arguing that rebellion in a republic,
> unlike in a monarchy, should be punished with the death penalty.
>
>   --Abigail Adams (Sam's cousin-in-law) applauded the military force that
> put
> down the rebellion, because "Ignorant, restless desperadoes, without
> conscience
> or principles have led a deluded multitude to follow their standard, under
> pretense of grievances which have no existence but in their
> imaginations..."
>
> CGE
>
> Robert Naiman wrote:
> > Well, Petraeus isn't comparing the Taliban to us today - he's
> > comparing the Taliban to the American colonists during the War of
> > Independence. A remarkable comparison.
> >
> > Maybe there is something to be said for letting military leaders
> > participate in political debates...I don't think we've heard this
> > comparison from any Members of Congress yet.
> >
> > On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 9:38 AM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu>
> wrote:
> >> Petraeus seems far too circumspect to make statements about his enemies
> that
> >> unintentionally apply to himself, as Bush does ("terrorists need to be
> >> eliminated from the Middle East"), but the reference to "us" as "thugs"
> may
> >> be an exception.
> >>
> >> But what makes him America's most political flag office is that his
> >> principal enemies seem always to be the opposite faction in the military
> and
> >> the government.  For example, he campaigned for the job of proconsul in
> Iraq
> >> against the officers who then held it by -- unprecedentedly --
> publishing
> >> his counterinsurgency manual on the net.
> >>
> >> Can these unusual statements be interpreted that way?  Perhaps, if it's
> true
> >> that the argument between Neocons and Realists in Washington includes
> the
> >> issue of who should be constructed as the threat in the Middle East that
> >> justifies the continuance of US military occupation (and not just in
> Iraq).
> >>  The former prefer Iran, the latter Pakistan. (An occluded form of the
> >> debate is reflected by the presidential candidates -- Obama more a hawk
> on
> >> AfPak than McCain, whom he pillories for "bomb-bomb-Iran.")
> >>
> >> Petraeus, lauded by both candidates but particularly by McCain, may be
> here
> >> carrying water for the Neocons, against the Realist belligerence that
> will
> >> probably continue from the end of this administration into the next:
> Obama
> >> as president will be able to improve on Bush's "baby steps" (as Obama's
> >> campaign terms it) in killing Pushtuns.  --CGE
> >>
> >>
> >> Robert Naiman wrote:
> >>> Petraeus said something quite reasonable.
> >>>
> >>> From the JFP News yesterday: 'Gen. Petraeus said negotiations with some
> >>> members of the Taliban could provide a way to reduce violence in
> sections
> >>> of
> >>> Afghanistan, Reuters reports. The British commander in Afghanistan had
> >>> told
> >>> the Sunday Times negotiations with the Taliban could bring needed
> >>> progress.
> >>> Asked about those remarks, Petraeus noted that Britain's long
> experience
> >>> negotiating with adversaries helped reduce violence in Iraq. "They've
> sat
> >>> down with thugs throughout their history, including us in our early
> days,
> >>> I
> >>> suspect," he said.'
> >>>
> >>> I think the antiwar.com piece is wrong about there not being any sign
> of
> >>> Taliban interest. It's true that their public proclamations in response
> to
> >>> Karzai's appeals have been hostile. But there was the meeting in Saudi
> >>> Arabia, which Karzai's brother attended according to some reports;
> Omar's
> >>> statements that the Taliban is no longer alled with al Qaeda; Taliban
> >>> observance of the UN Day of Peace; Taliban agreement not to attack
> >>> humanitarian convoys if Taliban commanders are contacted in advance.
> >>>
> >>> "Seek peace and pursue it."
> >>>
> >>> On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 1:43 AM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu
> >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>> [The US' most political general makes a move in the war in Washington
> on
> >>>> the Middle East. --CGE]
> >>>>
> >>>> Petraeus: US Should Talk With Talk With Taliban, Other Enemies Posted
> >>>> October 8, 2008
> >>>>
> >>>> Much has been made of the rumored peace talks between Afghanistan and
> the
> >>>> Taliban, and while both the Taliban and the Afghan government have
> made
> >>>> rather public denials that any such talks are ongoing, the United
> States
> >>>> has been totally silent on the report. That is, until today.
> >>>>
> >>>> Today, General David Petraeus confirmed that Afghan President Hamid
> >>>> Karzai has in fact asked Saudi Arabia to arrange peace talks between
> his
> >>>> government and the Taliban. He also referenced "some local activities"
> to
> >>>> that end.
> >>>>
> >>>> And while the general said he didn't want to "get into the middle of
> >>>> domestic politics," he appeared to endorse the idea, saying that he
> thought
> >>>>  the US should talk with its enemies. In the case of Afghanistan he
> said
> >>>> "the key is making sure that all of that is done in complete
> coordination
> >>>> with complete support of the Afghan government and with President
> >>>> Karzai."
> >>>>
> >>>> President Karzai seems to be in favor of reconciliation as well,
> having
> >>>> last week made a public call to Taliban leader Mullah Omar to return
> to
> >>>> the
> >>>>  country and participate in upcoming presidential elections. Karzai
> >>>> promised to be personally responsible for Omar's safety. The Taliban
> >>>> rejected the call, saying Karzai was a "puppet" of the US and not in a
> >>>> position to negotiate.
> >>>>
> >>>> So far the only sign that the Taliban is at all open to reconciliation
> is
> >>>> a
> >>>>  statement by Mullah Omar late last month which offered US and NATO
> >>>> forces
> >>>> a "reasonable opportunity" to withdraw safely from the country. There
> has
> >>>> been no apparent progress on the offer.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> http://news.antiwar.com/2008/10/08/petraeus-confirms-peace-overtures-to-taliban/
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Robert Naiman wrote:
> >>>>> We sent this alert out today in response to the debate and the
> >>>>> anniversary.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> -----------------
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> October 7 marked the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of
> >>>>> Afghanistan.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Our British allies are telling us that there is no military solution,
> >>>>> that there must be a political solution, and that there should be
> talks
> >>>>> with the Taliban. It would be a step forward for U.S. policy if the
> >>>>> Presidential candidates would acknowledge this reality in the next
> >>>>> Presidential debate on October 15.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Can you join us in asking the Presidential candidates and debate
> >>>>> moderator Bob Schieffer to acknowledge that the British say there
> must be
> >>>>> a political solution, and that there should be talks with the
> Taliban?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/afghanreality.html
> >>>>>
> >>>>> The top British military commander in Afghanistan says, "We're not
> going
> >>>>> to win this war," and "If the Taliban were prepared to sit on the
> other
> >>>>> side of the table and talk about a political settlement, then that's
> >>>>> precisely the sort of progress that concludes insurgencies like
> this."
> >>>>> [1] The British government supported the commander's statements: a
> >>>>> spokesman said the UK's ministry of defense "did not have a problem"
> >>>>> with
> >>>>> warning the UK public not to expect a "decisive military victory" and
> to
> >>>>> prepare instead for a possible deal with the Taliban. [2]
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Meetings between Taliban representatives and Afghan government
> officials
> >>>>> took place recently in Saudi Arabia. [3]
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Defense Secretary Gates made partially supportive remarks. Gates
> >>>>> endorsed
> >>>>> efforts to reach out to members of the Taliban or other militants in
> >>>>> Afghanistan who may be considered reconcilable, much like what has
> >>>>> happened in Iraq. [4]
> >>>>>
> >>>>> But what Gates didn't acknowledge was the need to bring in people at
> a
> >>>>> higher level than individual fighters, which would likely involve
> political
> >>>>> accommodation. In Iraq after 2006 the U.S. brought in leaders,
> >>>>> and made accommodation for groups with political demands, such as
> >>>>> integration into the Iraqi army.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Some may wish to postpone confronting the uncomfortable reality of
> >>>>> Afghanistan until after the election. But the danger is that the
> candidates
> >>>>> will lock us into a policy of military escalation, which without a
> new
> >>>>> political strategy, is almost certainly doomed to fail. That would
> mean more
> >>>>> needless American and Afghan deaths before we accommodate reality.
> Why not
> >>>>> begin accommodating reality now, and avoid
> >>>>> the needless deaths?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Please join us in asking the Presidential candidates and debate
> >>>>> moderator
> >>>>> Bob Schieffer to acknowledge reality in Afghanistan.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/afghanreality.html
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks for all you do in support of a Just Foreign Policy,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, and Sarah Burns, Just Foreign Policy
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Please support our work. We're funded by people like you. Our small
> >>>>> staff
> >>>>> ensures that small contributions go a long way. You can contribute
> here:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html
> >>>>>
> >>>>> References: [1] "Talks with Taliban the only way forward in
> Afghanistan,
> >>>>> says UK commander," Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian, October 6,
> >>>>> 2008.
> >>>>>  [2] "Britain risks US rift in war against Taliban," Jimmy Burns and
> >>>>> Daniel Dombey, Financial Times, October 6, 2008. [3] "Source: Saudi
> hosts
> >>>>> Afghan peace talks with Taliban reps," Nic Robertson, CNN, October 5,
> >>>>> 2008. [4] "Gates: Afghan militants key to country's future," Lolita
> C.
> >>>>> Baldor, Associated Press, October 6, 2008.
> >>>>>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
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