The Foreign Policy Initiative has put out a handy fact sheet listing and debunking the common arguments against a fully staffed counterinsurgency operation (COIN) in Afghanistan. As FPI explains:
The arguments, when closely considered, expose a default resistance to completing the mission, not a thoughtful dismantling of the pro “surge” case. Below you’ll find a list of the most popular critiques of General Stanley McChrystal’s COIN strategy and resource request, each followed by clear refutations from relevant experts.
The anti-COIN arguments that the fact sheet lays out reminds one, eerily so, of the arguments employed by the Left against the surge in Iraq (the national government is unworthy or inept, the country is too “backward” to sustain a U.S.-led effort, the U.S. Army is stretched too thin, a light footprint will work as well). FPI’s responses to each should be read in full, but the conclusion one comes away with is that the arguments in opposition to COIN are even less compelling this time, in part because we have the experience of Iraq to provide guidance. One of the least effective arguments in opposition to COIN is a circular one: the public isn’t behind this. COMMENTARY contributor Abe Greenwald explains:
Barack Obama has yet to talk about America or its ideals as being worth the fight. It’s no wonder public support for our commitment in Afghanistan is lower today than at any point during the Bush administration. … Since taking office, President Obama has continuously spoken of the United States as a country that “all too often … starts by dictating,” a place that “has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive” toward allies, where “our government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight, [and] all too often our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions.” America, in Mr. Obama’s words, “is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history.” What kind of dupe would rally behind that place? To make matters worse, while the situation deteriorated in Afghanistan and loose speculation abounded the president went silent on matters of war.
In other words, if the president wants to rally public opinion and debunk the critics of COIN, he can do so, with some effort and determination. But does he? We’ll find out, hopefully soon.
