Kissinger warns on Afghan exit

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

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Kissinger warns on Afghan exit

By Daniel Dombey in Washington

Published: June 29 2010 03:00 | Last updated: June 29 2010 03:00

Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state, has warned that Washington's plan to begin handing over responsibility to national forces in Afghanistan in July next year "provides a mechanism for failure".

In an interview with the Financial Times in the wake of President Barack Obama's decision to remove General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Mr Kissinger said the public "must be prepared for a long struggle" in what is already the US's longest war.

Mr Kissinger said Mr Obama needed to rethink the deadline and the way the Afghan strategy had been designed since, in his view, its goals were too ambitious and too focused on a Kabul government with limited influence in the rest of the country.

"[The strategy] needs adaptation to realities," he said, suggesting the task of adapting it would best fall to General David Petraeus, Mr Obama's nomination as Gen McChrystal's successor.

Mr Kissinger added that fighting the Taliban until it was reduced to impotence "would take more time than the American political system would permit".

The Republican's comments come as Gen Petraeus is due to appear before the Senate to be confirmed in his new post. Though confirmation is virtually assured, Republicans say they will push him on the realism of the July 2011 date. Democrats will call for Afghan forces to take on more of the fighting.

While the administration says the rate of the handover will be determined by conditions on the ground, figures such as Joe Biden, vice-president, and Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff, have said US troops will start to leave next July.

"The basic premise that you can work towards a national government that can replace the American security effort in a deadline of 12 months provides a mechanism for failure," Mr Kissinger said. "On the other hand, if we are willing to pursue the stated [war] objective the public must be prepared for a long struggle. This is a choice that needs to be made explicitly."

* Nita Lowey, a Democrat who chairs the House appropriations foreign operations subcommittee, vowed yesterday to halt all non-humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after reports that Kabul was blocking corruption investigations and that more than $3bn (€2.4bn, £2bn) had been flown out of Kabul airport during the past three years.

Into the dust, Page 9 Full interview transcript at FT.com / US & Canada - Transcript: Interview with Henry Kissinger

FT.com / Asia-Pacific - Kissinger warns on Afghan exit

[SMIQBAL]

Kissinger warns on Afghan exit

Mr. Henry Kissinger is veteran of South asian region. He has shown his apprehensions regarding withdrawl of US troops. The Afghan War was started by Democrates and Obama wants to finish this War in the reign of Democrates. It is widely considered that US troops would leave AFghanistan in 2011 but they shall stay in Kandhar as they are making largest US Base in Kandhar to control the entroutes to gulf, central asia and others. Finally a consortium would form and decide that American should quite Kabul with a pro-american government and confine itself to Kandhar and Helmand with US 100% influence on Baluchistan and Sindh through BLA and Mutheda. Mr. Kissigner would finally agree to Kandhar Proposal. An study of Kandhar nowadays would reveal that US has started building a base that would be largest US base in world.

We have to keep in mind one more aspect that "Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We have to go into deep deliberations regarding Gulf of Mexico. It was BP or Halliburton to cause oil spills. BP had sold out their shares in open market before oil spill. Halliburton was not happy over new contract assignments expected tobe given to democrates by Mr. Obama regarding future deep sea oil drilling. In case of any major catastroph in Gul of Mexico the US had to displace millions of people from the states facing Gulf of Mexico for which huge troops buildup shall be required and troops fro Afghnistan would return to US.
I call all the friends of forum to sit and deliberate on the upcoming dangerous situation of Gulf of Mexico to the extent that how much the situation shall affect Paksitan and around its borders. Should we act with US or take a U turn.
SMIQBAL.

[Parashuram1]

He does have a point. Kissinger might be one of those paranoid warhawks but Afghanistan exit anywhere before another 5-7 years is just pressing the restart button.

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

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Am I the only one who thinks he should be dead long time ago why is he still alive is he not 120 years old by now , please old man die leave the politics to younger people