Editoral-McChrystal’s blunder

It is inconceivable in Pakistan that a top general would be publicly reprimanded, and perhaps even fired, over comments made to the media. But things are done differently in the US where the military brass is answerable not only to the president but also Congress and the American people. What prompted Gen Stanley McChrystal, chief of the international forces in Afghanistan, to talk the way he did to the popular magazine Rolling Stone is difficult to say. Perhaps he is getting increasingly frustrated prosecuting a war with no definite end in sight. Consider also that June has been one of the deadliest months for Nato troops in Afghanistan with some 70 casualties so far. Among the dead, more than 40 were Americans.

Be that as it may, Gen McChrystal chose the wrong forum and a wholly inappropriate tone to criticise the civilian leadership in Washington. The response was swift and the message clear: Barack Obama said the general exercised “poor judgment” while the presidential press secretary maintained that “The magnitude and graveness of the mistake here are profound.” Gen McChrystal was reminded in no uncertain terms that it is elected officials, not generals, who have the final say in policymaking. Chastened and summoned back to Washington, he has since apologised to everyone he offended. Try as you might it is impossible to imagine a similar scenario unfolding in Pakistan. But then that is the difference between old democracies and developing countries where the military has called the shots almost from day one.

The general’s remarks raise some worrying concerns though. Are the field commanders and the administration in Washington on the same page vis-à-vis the fight against the Afghan Taliban? If they are not, can Nato forces ever be successful in quelling the insurgency? It is no secret that some US commanders are opposed to the idea of a politically imposed deadline for pulling out troops from Afghanistan. To placate an increasingly war-weary nation and dispel the impression that the fight is open-ended, the Obama administration insists that US soldiers in Afghanistan will start coming home in July 2011.

So rigid a timetable has apparently not gone down well with some top military personnel who are active in the battle arena and may possibly be more in touch with ground realities. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has meanwhile thrown his weight behind Gen McChrystal and feels that his removal could disrupt the military campaign against the Taliban. That remains to be seen but it is clear that the Afghan war is becoming more difficult by the day and blunders at this stage will not help.

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