Jonathan Alter: Afghanistan Foreign Service Officer’s Resignation Should Serve as a Warning

[laststeamtrain]

Afghanistan Foreign Service Officer’s Resignation Should Serve as a Warning
Jonathan Alter

Every so often, a newspaper story appears that simply must be read by everyone who cares about the most important issues of the day. Such is the case with Karen DeYoung's article in today's Washington Post about Matt Hoh, a State Department official and former U.S. Marine with years of on-the-ground experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hoh resigned in protest last month because he believes increasing U.S. combat-troop strength in Afghanistan will actually harm our interests in the region. "The United States military presence in Afghanistan greatly contributes to the legitimacy and strategic message of the Pashtun insurgency," Hoh writes. Whichever decision President Obama makes, the PDF of Hoh's eloquent resignation letter will be used by historians to show that the country was warned that it was about to embark on a tragic course.

Hoh is "no hippie," as he tells DeYoung. He writes from real-life experience as a highly regarded officer and civilian official. But because he was lower down the chain of command—closer to the real action and the real story—his words carry more power than that of high-level officials who tour the country for a few days accompanied by yes-men. Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy for the region, asked Hoh to work for him after he resigned (Hoh eventually declined) and Tony Blinken, who is Joe Biden's foreign-policy adviser, is meeting this week with Hoh. That testifies to the power of his message. You can read a lot of columns about Afghanistan by stateside blowhards of the left and right who don't really know what they're talking about. Or you can read Hoh. ... http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/10/27/afghanistan-foreign-service-officer-s-resignation-should-serve-as-a-warning.aspx

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. I hope there are more like this one to waken the American people about this lost war.

[tekisui]

2. knr!~

[mike_c]

3. "...resignation letter will be used by historians to show that the country was warned...."

That's the money phrase, IMO.

[TomCADem]

4. The Letter Is Dated Back In September, But Resignation Delayed Along With Obama's Decision

Following the letter, Hoh spoke with both Holbrooke and Biden's staff. Is all the delay a coincidence?

[Winterblues]

5. Russia had 150,000 crack troops PLUS 250,000 Afghan regulars

They found out the hard way. It was just too damn expensive for them. It was basically a war of attrition. There are forty million Pashtun that live in the area and they all consider the USA as Occupiers. We may never loose a battle and still not win anything...I only hope we figure it out sooner rather than later.

[AllentownJake]

7. What happened to the Soviet Union after that war

I forget.

[Winterblues]

8. They became pretty much a nation of peace.

They could not afford Imperialism and i don't believe we can either.

[ixion]

6. Of course, if people had listened to the hippies

we wouldn't be in this mess.

[TacticalPeek]

9. Couldn't quite pull the trigger while Shrub was still president I guess?

Maybe there are various kinds of courage.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. Wow....that is some letter. Revealing.

I encourage people to read it.

[kenny blankenship]

13. Seconded

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Kick

[malaise]

12. K & R

Get the hell out of Afghanistan.

[optimator]

14. fuck hoh

the only thing his resignation means, is that living in denial and rationalizing your career as a murdering monster only lasts 8 years or so before reality hits

[BadGimp]

15. This para caused me to reflect ...

..on the difference in the way the Obama administration reacted and the way the Bush administration would no doubt have reacted:

""We took his letter very seriously, because he was a good officer," Holbrooke said in an interview. "We all thought that given how serious his letter was, how much commitment there was, and his prior track record, we should pay close attention to him." "

This guy would have been drummed under the rug and dismissed as a disgruntled and confused person.

It's good to have adults in charge again.

[BadGimp]

16. oh this one is a gem - change a few letters and this could be about the US

"He concluded, he said in his resignation letter, that the war "has violently and savagely pitted the urban, secular, educated and modern of Afghanistan against the rural, religious, illiterate and traditional. It is this latter group that composes and supports the Pashtun insurgency." "

That's us yall. Take out the places and names, and replace them with The United States and the Big Money backed GOP machine, and you have a striking parallel.