If We Lose Hearts and Minds, We Will Lose the War
Spectator, The; London › September 30, 2009
Linked as:
Summary
Though killing terrorists is no bad thing in itself, the only real solution involves engaging indigenous forces - the Afghan people - to help us help them liberate their country. Since 2006, I have talked with many locals in Afghanistan: tribal elders, government officials, police and soldiers, Taleban defectors, religious leaders, educated intellectuals and ordinary people in the valleys and villages.
See the full content of this document
Extract
If We Lose Hearts and Minds, We Will Lose the War
David Kilcullen, the man who helped think up the strategy that saved Iraq, says that high-tech weaponry is not the answer in Afghanistan. Only a genuine partnership with the people can help us win
Sir Olaf Caroe - a legendary figure of the Raj, ethnographer of the Pashtuns and last administrator of the North-West Frontier of British India - wrote in 1958 that 'unlike other wars, Afghan wars become serious only when they are over; in British times at least they were apt to produce an after-crop of tribal unrest [and] constant intrigue among the border tribes.' Western leaders would have been wise to consider his words a...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
