Sponsored Content
« Overnight Open Thread (Mætenloch) | Main | Black Tuesday for Dems: Dorgan, Ritter...Dodd? »
January 05, 2010

Major General Michael Flynn: CIA clueless in Afghanistan

Don't really want to crap on the ONT so early, but this seemed like a pretty dramatic statement worthy of note.

The U.S. military's intelligence chief in Afghanistan has sharply criticized the work of U.S. spy agencies there, calling them ignorant and out of touch with the Afghan people.

In a report issued by the Center for New American Security think tank, Major General Michael Flynn, deputy chief of staff for intelligence in Afghanistan for the U.S. military and its NATO allies, offered a bleak assessment of the intelligence community's role in the eight-year-old war.

He described U.S. intelligence officials there as "ignorant of local economics and landowners, hazy about who the powerbrokers are and how they might be influenced...and disengaged from people in the best position to find answers."...

At least one data point tends to support the general's contention -- the woman running the CIA station was in a position to be blown up by the splodydope. Anyone with the slightest clue about Arab or Afghan culture would realize having the woman even present would reduce respect and make them view us as weak. That's simply the way Islam is designed. It sounds like the CIA ignored the reality on the Islamic street here in at least that regard.

This is NOT to say you can't have a woman running the show effectively. She could put on an act, maybe behave like a subservient maid or orderly when locals were present. That certainly could work with a bit of effort with everyone acting their parts accordingly.

It sounds like much of CIA's problem goes back to techniques described in Maj. Gant's proposal. You need to understand and integrate with the local culture. If the General's criticisms are in fact correct, this is not happening.


digg this
posted by Purp at 11:13 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
Weasel: "Comments are closed. ..."

Eromero: "Nobels are a dime a dozen. I have two on them hang ..."

CharlieBrown'sDildo: "I do love Edward Gorey and Charles Addams [i]Po ..."

Inquiring minds: "Moki, make / model / year ? ..."

OrangeEnt: "More scientific fraud. A prominent Johns Hopkins r ..."

CharlieBrown'sDildo: "[i]Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (Mzdiz) ..."

Eromero: "72 Semi Literate Thug: We studied it, and it doesn ..."

Mark Andrew Edwards, GotG vol 3 review: "I do love Edward Gorey and Charles Addams ..."

Moki: "Not being ugly to you, Bertram. A, electrics are t ..."

MikeN: "No Honor for American mercenaries. ..."

Moki: " Is that an electric vehicle? Posted by: Bertram ..."

MikeN: "Rand Paul @RandPaul · 11h Fake conservati ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64