Whatever you think of Henry Kissinger–warmonger or tragic Metternichian realist–he always has a plan. Today however he presents his “plan” for Afghanistan, and the grim joke is that, search it however long you want, there’s no real “plan’ in there.
The Washington Post must have come to him and said “you ust have a plan for Afghanistan Mr. Secretary” and how could he say “no, it’s hopeless.” But his survey of the landscape makes it clear it’s hopeless. The Taliban have taken over or will be in the process of taking over much of Pakistan and Afghanistan. They’re an even bet to get hold of, on behalf of al Qaeda, Pakistan’s sixty plus nukes. it’s just a matter of time before all helll breaks loose.
I admire Obama and Petraeus’ optimism, but I’ve always felt the flaw in both parties, in Americans in general, was the lack of a tragic sense of life–the dark vision that says, no. there isn’t always a solution to every problem. Some of them will get worse and worse no matter what you do. That’s the way Afghanistan and Pakistan look to me.
And that doesn’t even take into account the extremely dark view of the Iranian satellite launch my friend Craig S. Karpel persuasively advanced here.
Things are going from bad to worse in the midst of a world wide economic collapse. (Don’t try to blame Obama for that).
Anyone out there have some reason for optimism?
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