8 ms·

The Afghanistan Papers[0] were published a few weeks ago and didn't get nearly as much traction as I hoped they would. A stunning documentation of the incompete

The Afghanistan Papers[0] were published a few weeks ago and didn't get nearly as much traction as I hoped they would. A stunning documentation of the incompetence of America's strategy in the Middle East over the past two decades. [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-confidential-documents/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/...

Pinckney 7y ago
Maybe this is off topic, but am I the only one uncomfortable with the Post seeking names of interviewees? > The reports also omitted the names of more than 90 percent of the people who were interviewed for the project. While a few officials agreed to speak on the record to SIGAR, the agency said it promised anonymity to everyone else it interviewed to avoid controversy over politically sensitive matters. > ... > The Post has asked a federal judge to force SIGAR to disclose the names of everyone else interviewed, arguing that the public has a right to know which officials criticized the war and asserted that the government had misled the American people. The Post also argued the officials were not whistleblowers or informants, because they were not interviewed as part of an investigation. One of the key problems identified by this report is that military and government officials didn't want to hear bad news. People on the ground felt like they had to paint an overly rosy picture. The SIGAR report seems like an attempt to address that by enabling them to speak anonymously, but the Post doesn't seem concerned that publicizing identities may hamstring such internal government investigations in the future.
remarkEon 7y ago
This was a frankly heartbreaking read. It feels like everyone missed it too.
- bsanr2 7y ago
  Well, not everyone. There were protests throughout the length of the war. A lot of people looked at the history of US intervention, of foreign intervention in Afghanistan, and at the motivations of the people calling the shots, and said, from Day 1, "This is not going to work out." Aaron McGruder famously had their number, and reached out daily to Americans whose newspapers hadn't canceled publication of his strip (https://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2016/12/13 https://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2016/12/13). They were right, most Americans were wrong, and I don't know if we'll ever fully reckon with that fact. On that note, I hope people are listening to Sarah Kendzior's work these days.
  - Cougher 7y ago
    I was reviled for pointing out why the Afghanistan war was wrong and why it would fail. The American Military Enthusiast Complex was alive and well then and it's alive and well today, the day (s) after these revelations have come to pass.
newnewpdro 7y ago
The VICE documentary This Is What Winning Looks Like exposes some of the same struggles with Afghanistan. It's a very sobering and disturbing report, available on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI

Pinckney 7y ago

Maybe this is off topic, but am I the only one uncomfortable with the Post seeking names of interviewees? > The reports also omitted the names of more than 90 percent of the people who were interviewed for the project. While a few officials agreed to speak on the record to SIGAR, the agency said it promised anonymity to everyone else it interviewed to avoid controversy over politically sensitive matters. > ... > The Post has asked a federal judge to force SIGAR to disclose the names of everyone else interviewed, arguing that the public has a right to know which officials criticized the war and asserted that the government had misled the American people. The Post also argued the officials were not whistleblowers or informants, because they were not interviewed as part of an investigation. One of the key problems identified by this report is that military and government officials didn't want to hear bad news. People on the ground felt like they had to paint an overly rosy picture. The SIGAR report seems like an attempt to address that by enabling them to speak anonymously, but the Post doesn't seem concerned that publicizing identities may hamstring such internal government investigations in the future.

remarkEon 7y ago

This was a frankly heartbreaking read. It feels like everyone missed it too.

bsanr2 7y ago
Well, not everyone. There were protests throughout the length of the war. A lot of people looked at the history of US intervention, of foreign intervention in Afghanistan, and at the motivations of the people calling the shots, and said, from Day 1, "This is not going to work out." Aaron McGruder famously had their number, and reached out daily to Americans whose newspapers hadn't canceled publication of his strip (https://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2016/12/13 https://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2016/12/13). They were right, most Americans were wrong, and I don't know if we'll ever fully reckon with that fact. On that note, I hope people are listening to Sarah Kendzior's work these days.
- Cougher 7y ago
  I was reviled for pointing out why the Afghanistan war was wrong and why it would fail. The American Military Enthusiast Complex was alive and well then and it's alive and well today, the day (s) after these revelations have come to pass.

newnewpdro 7y ago

The VICE documentary This Is What Winning Looks Like exposes some of the same struggles with Afghanistan. It's a very sobering and disturbing report, available on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI