What was the biggest mistake, the worst decision that was made in both these wars? It was escalation, and in fact, continued misguided escalation in the face of evidence that such actions would have no positive effect and, quite probably, backfire. The reasons behind Johnson and Obama continuing to escalate futile wars comes from the intense, relentless pressure brought to bear on them from the military commanders. Full article HERE.
Above all, the worst mistake Obama and many others made in Afghanistan was labeling it a "good war" in the first place. Nothing but propaganda (and a bad comparison in Iraq); Afghanistan was never a wise war to begin with. 9/11 was spawned by decades of pent-up Muslim aggression against America and shouldn't have been responded to with absolute force, as this reaction never solved the root problems. America didn't want to negotiate with the Taliban either, just invade, install the Northern Alliance (and ignore the Pashtun power struggle), and leave.
ReplyDeleteEscalation continues to flow from this error, and it's looking particularly ominous as revolution infects the Middle East.