Good BBC programme on Iraq
 

Hi guys,

If you didn't catch tonight's 'No Plan, No Peace' you missed a good bit of TV from the Beeb. Concluding part is on tomorrow on BBC 1 at 2245. Some good interviews with Gen Jackson and the like about the pre-invasion 'plans' for post-Saddam Iraq. You may be able to see tonight's episode on the iplayer feature of the BBC website-I'm unable to check as it doesn't work on Mac!

It goes some way to explaining the current Iraq debacles...Rumsfeld and his cronies should be in jail IMHO.

PH

Just finished watching it and it reminded me of a chat I had with an FCO type up in Baghdad in summer 03. Even then when I had been in country for no more than a couple of months I could tell (from my lowly position) that what plan they had was going south at a rapid rate of knots. Whilst Blair and Bush will never go on trial for war crimes, from that programme alone, any half decent lawyer should be able to get a conviction for criminal negligence - I believe the definition runs alon the lines of:

"careless, inattentive, neglectful, willfully blind, or in the case of gross negligence what would have been reckless in any other defendant"

Surely going into a war with only weeks of preparation for the aftermath falls within the boundaries of that description? Or if you wanted to be generous, casting my mind back to IOT I doubt Bush or Blair would have passed (without a recourse at least!) - wasn't appreciation of the problem and effective intelligence to come up with a workable plan part of the assessment?

Well I think they failed on both counts. If you came up with a plan along the lines that they did for Iraq for a problem at Staff College, or even a lead on IOT, you'd be failed on the spot. Instead it's us that have been failed by them.

Grim, infuriating viewing indeed. The only bright spot was Franks' now famous description of Doug Feith as the dumbest MF on the planet.

It was good - and part 2 is on tonight at 2245.

Excellant Programme
 

I only caught the last 15-20 mins of Sunday's programme (traffic on the way back); however, I managed to watch the whole of Monday's second part. I thought it was an excellant, well presented article that was reminiscent of 'old' BBC reporting. The facts were presented, with boths sides getting the opportunity to present their version, which in turn allowed me as the viewer to form my own opinion.
There were many points rasied that provided some real stimulus for continued debate, from the political interference relating to desired troop numbers, the disbandment of the Iraqi armed forces and most damaging of all (in my view), the lack of engagement with the Iraqis themselves, post-conflict.
The final comments of John Ware were also damning in their simplicity.

Sad
 

Excellent program!! I found it very sad and pathetic to hear our 'lords and masters' now on very nice pensions/book deals/after dinner circuit etc. saying that they knew at the time that it was all going wrong but then did/said very little to put it right. I think in 20 years time we are going to look back in disbelief at how we could have done such a poor job of occupation and reconstruction with all the information that was available beforehand.:(

An early heads up about a repeat would be handy if anyone hears. I missed both and heard tonight that they were great.

This was the BBC at its traditional best, excellent documentary, shame it was buried in the graveyard slot, but that is becoming the norm for most decent progs.

Heads up - Panorama next Mon 2030 promises a similar insight into the 'stan and how it may be beyond hope militarily as per Iraq.

Bit of light background reading - an excellent briefing paper from Chatham House here:

http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publi...view/-/id/552/

with the executive summary for those who can't download it:

Western forces' success in fighting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and in achieving a satisfactory level of security throughout Afghanistan remains limited.

The lack of success results from the coalition's failure to develop and implement jointly a coherent strategy for Afghanistan that integrates counter-insurgency, counterterrorism and stability and reconstruction operations.

The coalition's internal cohesion regarding the development of the Afghanistan operation is becoming increasingly fragile. The willingness to share risks has become a key issue. National caveats are increasingly disputed. Not all NATO member states are prepared to send their forces into combat. This puts the fundamental principle of alliance solidarity on the line.

The coalition forces' comprehensive approach towards stability and reconstruction operations remains an elusive concept on the ground in Afghanistan. The consensus is that civil-military cooperation has to become an instrumental part of the Afghan operation, but it remains an unresolved issue how this could be translated into operational practice.

The conflict has increasingly become a regional one. Taliban bases in Pakistan cannot be targeted by coalition forces; however, logistical and armament supplies out of Pakistan are significant, and Pakistan is used as a recruitment base. As long as parts of Pakistan serve as a safe haven for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, coalition forces will not be able to control Afghanistan.