Ravi Rikhye Strategy for Afghanistan

Ravi Rikhye Strategy for Afghanistan

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KISS being a military axiom - as in Keep It Simple Stupid - we offer our prescription to what should be the US/NATO course in Afghanistan.

First, a ceiling of 10,000 troops, for logistics, support, training, and helicopter, transport, and fighter units.

Second, decide what is the optimum area that existing Afghan forces can hold. Say it is the five major provinces, then let's stick to those provinces.

Third, let the Afghans take the lead in deciding how/where/when/why they want to expand as additional forces come on line.

Four, leave Pakistan. As in leave Pakistan alone. As in get out of Pakistan, bid them adieu, farewell, aloha, whatever, and confine relations to the normal diplomatic and economic and whatever US does with friends.

The US part of the mission will cost $5-billion/year in direct operations, and $2.5-billion/year in assistance to the Afghanistan Government.

This is sustainable over 100 years. At some point the Taliban will get it: the west is not going to leave - ever, and at some point the Afghans will get it: that money aside, they have to carry the load of rebuilding the new Afghanistan.

Then you will see the Taliban and the Afghans negotiate.

So, you will say, and what are your credentials for solving complex problems? Happy to oblige. Read below.

This year, Editor is on the Third Floor of the school, which was terra incognito as far as he was concerned. When he's eating lunch, he tends to focus on eating lunch. He had peripherally noted that each day there was a huge scramble for the microwave and often the teacher second last or last would not get to heat their lunch and so could not eat. (Editor does not believe in being held hostage by things like microwave machines, he brings sandwiches.)

So on Thursday the Editor suggested a solution: why not put multiple lunches in the microwave? A minute later there were three lunches in the microwave, then another three, then two, and for the first time every teacher got to heat their lunch.

"Don't thank me," said the Editor, "I solve problems every day." The teachers looked at me in surprise, because no one had the least intention of thanking me, they were too busy shoveling food into their mouths.

Prophets are without honor in their own country, they say.

Point being, if you can solve the teacher microwave line problem, you can solve anything.