Too daring a mistake of a General
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Maswood Alam Khan
The popular phrase "War is too important to be left to the generals" is a rather paraphrase of what the French prime minister for two terms in the early 1900s Georges Benjamin Clemenceau, the French statesman more known as the Tiger and the Father Victory, once said: "War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men"
General Douglas MacArthur of US Army was a great soldier and was hugely popular a war hero of World War II. But he perhaps harbored a dangerously complacent attitude towards war strategies as he was doggedly intent on expansion of the Korean War so much so that in March 1951 General MacArthur ignoring a ceasefire proposal sent by President Harry Truman had issued an ultimatum demanding China's surrender. The General crossed the boundary of his power and prerogatives. A few days later he was fired by Harry Truman. MacArthur was perhaps oblivious of a basic element of his country's constitution: "Civilian control of the military".
After about sixty years another American soldier in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal seems to have put a foot similarly wrong by his remarks or gaffes about his civilian bosses in Washington that are due to be published on Friday in Rolling Stone, a magazine that was once popular only to a few readers in the West now poised to become perhaps a household name for its publishing a story titled: "Runaway General".
The top US commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal has been summoned back to Washington and is going to face severe carpeting from his boss President Barack Obama, the US Commander-in-Chief.
The reports in the Rolling Stone will (reportedly) include critical remarks---particularly by the general's staff members---about the president and other senior members of his Administration. National Security Adviser General James Jones has been lampooned as 'a clown' by one, Vice President Biden as 'Bite me' by another. Perhaps the most sensitive passage is one in which one of General McChrystal's aides described a meeting between his Commander and the Commander-in-Chief one year ago: "Obama clearly didn't know anything about [McChrystal], who he was... he didn't seem very engaged. The boss was pretty disappointed."
General McChrystal himself is not however quoted being critical of the president. In contrast to disparaging remarks by those of his staff members General McChrystal made perhaps a gaffe that:"he couldn't bear to open an e-mail from Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke". If it was a joke Rolling Stone perhaps did a mistake by not asking the General: "Are you joking?"
General McChrystal should consider it a point of honour to take responsibility for his staff members who made those disparaging remarks. The General has already apologised for the article, implying that he should never have gone along with it. According to media reports the General had also submitted his resignation. The whole world is now awaiting the outcome of the meeting between the Commander in Afghanistan and the Commander-in-Chief in Washington.
In spite of huge surge of US troops in Afghanistan the Taliban suicide jihadists are becoming more effective with the days passing and the war dragging on with the deadline of withdrawal of troops approaching too soon. Civilian as well as military leaders and subordinates are perhaps seeing the US defeat on the wall. So, now obviously is the time to start the 'blame game' and make money by striking deals with magazines like Rolling Stone and publishers of books on Afghanistan War. Many like General McChrystal should now be desperate to prepare their scripts on the topic "Who was who in losing the war in Afghanistan: the General in the filed or the politicians at the top who pulled the strings of the General"
E-mail: maswood@hotmail.com
The popular phrase "War is too important to be left to the generals" is a rather paraphrase of what the French prime minister for two terms in the early 1900s Georges Benjamin Clemenceau, the French statesman more known as the Tiger and the Father Victory, once said: "War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men"
General Douglas MacArthur of US Army was a great soldier and was hugely popular a war hero of World War II. But he perhaps harbored a dangerously complacent attitude towards war strategies as he was doggedly intent on expansion of the Korean War so much so that in March 1951 General MacArthur ignoring a ceasefire proposal sent by President Harry Truman had issued an ultimatum demanding China's surrender. The General crossed the boundary of his power and prerogatives. A few days later he was fired by Harry Truman. MacArthur was perhaps oblivious of a basic element of his country's constitution: "Civilian control of the military".
After about sixty years another American soldier in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal seems to have put a foot similarly wrong by his remarks or gaffes about his civilian bosses in Washington that are due to be published on Friday in Rolling Stone, a magazine that was once popular only to a few readers in the West now poised to become perhaps a household name for its publishing a story titled: "Runaway General".
The top US commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal has been summoned back to Washington and is going to face severe carpeting from his boss President Barack Obama, the US Commander-in-Chief.
The reports in the Rolling Stone will (reportedly) include critical remarks---particularly by the general's staff members---about the president and other senior members of his Administration. National Security Adviser General James Jones has been lampooned as 'a clown' by one, Vice President Biden as 'Bite me' by another. Perhaps the most sensitive passage is one in which one of General McChrystal's aides described a meeting between his Commander and the Commander-in-Chief one year ago: "Obama clearly didn't know anything about [McChrystal], who he was... he didn't seem very engaged. The boss was pretty disappointed."
General McChrystal himself is not however quoted being critical of the president. In contrast to disparaging remarks by those of his staff members General McChrystal made perhaps a gaffe that:"he couldn't bear to open an e-mail from Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke". If it was a joke Rolling Stone perhaps did a mistake by not asking the General: "Are you joking?"
General McChrystal should consider it a point of honour to take responsibility for his staff members who made those disparaging remarks. The General has already apologised for the article, implying that he should never have gone along with it. According to media reports the General had also submitted his resignation. The whole world is now awaiting the outcome of the meeting between the Commander in Afghanistan and the Commander-in-Chief in Washington.
In spite of huge surge of US troops in Afghanistan the Taliban suicide jihadists are becoming more effective with the days passing and the war dragging on with the deadline of withdrawal of troops approaching too soon. Civilian as well as military leaders and subordinates are perhaps seeing the US defeat on the wall. So, now obviously is the time to start the 'blame game' and make money by striking deals with magazines like Rolling Stone and publishers of books on Afghanistan War. Many like General McChrystal should now be desperate to prepare their scripts on the topic "Who was who in losing the war in Afghanistan: the General in the filed or the politicians at the top who pulled the strings of the General"
E-mail: maswood@hotmail.com