In the book, Hillier described the Iraq war as a "distraction" for the Americans. "Perhaps more importantly, the war in Iraq gave the Taliban heart at a time when it was largely beaten."
Most Taliban who would later form the Afghan insurgency were hiding in Pakistan, their leadership almost entirely killed or captured, militants "soundly beaten" in battles with US forces and their source of funding from Muslim world supporters drying up.
But the Taliban saw from the few successes of "ragtag insurgents" in Iraq that "Western military forces could be hurt and maybe even have their will to fight destroyed."
"They watched, learned and soon began applying the tactical lessons from Iraq in successfully attacking Western forces," Hillier wrote. The Afghan insurgency got its second wind.
There's a story about a dog with a bone in his mouth who comes upon a small bridge over quiet waters. The dog looks down and sees another dog with a bone in his mouth.
He barks at the other dog (his reflection) and loses both bones.
Is famous story.
Point to Spud bringing this up here is that as Hillier sez in his new book, Afghanistan was largely won when the decision to start a second front in Iraq was implemented.
Had the bone, just had to bring it home, so to speak.
By diverting resources and seriously underplanning both ventures now it seems both wars are imperilled.
As Iran increasingly pulls political strings in Iraq and the Taliban establish themselves firmly on both sides of the Afghani/Pakistani border causing political turmoil in that third country it becomes imperitive to either give one last serious effort at stabilising Afghanistan before international pressure, runaway costs and sheer fatigue causes the west to hafta withdraw or just get out and watch the place carefully thereafter.
Hilliers a good guy.
Spud respects him and his opinion.
He's often floated as a populist political candidate in some parts of the country but as his blunt speech in this post retirement biography indicate the guy is too brutally honest to make it in a modern PCfied political world.
More's the pity.
Be Well.
/Yup, this book is most definitely on Spud's Big List o' Books to Buy.
