Embedding with the Taliban

by: Brandon Friedman

Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:45:06 AM EDT


I'd be willing to bet that most military readers, both here and elsewhere, would be uncomfortable--to say the least--with an American who embeds with the Taliban in southeastern Afghanistan.  I think I'm about as anti-Taliban as one could get, and when I first heard about the recent foray of journalist Nir Rosen into the world of the Afghan insurgency, I was ready to pass judgment.

But I gotta say, if you're against doing what he did, after you read his piece in the newest issue of Rolling Stone, you might change your mind.  There's a ton of value in this.

If it weren't for crazy people like Nir, we'd know a lot less about stuff.
Brandon Friedman :: Embedding with the Taliban
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Embedding with the Taliban | 31 comments
Great article and worth the time to read the whole thing. It supports the (4.00 / 2)
the reporting on the Taliban that has recently been in
http://www.atimes.com/

'Cash strapped' Pakistan halts fight in Waziristan.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/S...

A discussion of the bombings here.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/S...

The Bushcos have long promoted NGO to respond to humanitarian crises. It does have a down side when linked to religious 'missionaries' if this story is true. Gotta think that if 'foreigners' are a problem, that those who would try to 'convert' really cross the line.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/...

Gen. Craddock addresses NATO 'feebleness' (0.00 / 0)
[ Parent ]
A (good, "old-fashioned") journalist ... (4.00 / 2)
is never there to examine one side of a story.  American journalism has been in a sad state for many years.  **Warning: slightly topical tangent alert:**  Hell, we never heard more than the one ever-saintly angle on Mother Teresa for crying out loud, whereas so many in the rest of the world at least had the opportunity to examine other info.  If you ask your average Indian exposed to her works, she isn't regarded as a saint.  Granted, the whole point behind missionary work is conversion to the missionary's faith, but she was held out to be to be the ultimate humanitarian ... and that is simply not the truth.  I know, I know -- Mother Teresa??  You can't trust anything.  :)

If we never had folks like Nir, we'd never see the inside of many worlds or have a single clue whether we're being propagandized by our own media and government.  The one thing America needs a lot less of is ignorance.

American Jounalism (0.00 / 0)
Has become the vehicle for the words and phrases the Think? Tanks can bring forth as the modern propaganda of controlling the masses!

'Hearts and Minds, "The ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live there." -- President Lyndon Johnson
[ Parent ]
Nir Rosen (4.00 / 3)
is amazing. I wonder if certain individuals in Washington DC have been paying attention to his words.
Short Answer (4.00 / 2)
Nope!!

Nor any of the other Real Professional Journalists, and once dying Investigative Journalists!

One thing I've been proud to see, read and hear, are the younger generations start picking up that Journalism is not only a profession but and art, and those that really delve into a subject can use their words to give the needed pictures of the real reality, I was afraid we were loosing that ability.

And with this technology it has brought out the ability of just regular folks, when time permits, to hone their own embedded gifts and feelings and give description to the realities they would like to be witness to, for their responsibility to the coming generations.

'Hearts and Minds, "The ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live there." -- President Lyndon Johnson

[ Parent ]
Well (4.00 / 2)
Nir just showed us a fine example of what a real American journalist should be, not to mention a hell of alot of courage.  Well, no surprise about DC. Then again, I think Washington DC expects the world to revolve around its vision rather than shape its vision around the realities of the world.  
[ Parent ]
'Nope' would be the wrong answer, Jim! (0.00 / 0)
The chairman of the SFRC has been paying plenty attention to Nir Rosen. He doesn't always like what he has to say, but he is definitely paying attention.
[ Parent ]
Joe Biden has been paying attention...of course... (0.00 / 0)
He has called Nir Rosen to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he has always been a very compelling witness...very informative. And, a lot like Senator Biden - says what he really thinks and tells us what we need to know not what we want to hear.

I wish I had a link for his last appearance during the Iraq hearing a few months back...but they are extremely hard to find. Why is tha ...I wonder

[ Parent ]
If (0.00 / 0)
Biden is bringing in Nir Rosen, then he is right on in this case.
[ Parent ]
I keep telling you, Fred... (0.00 / 0)
...you just need to watch one Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Chairman Biden at the helm - or as ranking member, even - and you will be safely in the fold...I kid you not!

And, as soon as I come across a full hearing video - from opening statements, through witness testimony and Q & A...then you can be sure I'll let you know about it! :-)

[ Parent ]
I will (0.00 / 0)
probably never be in the fold. There are times I will commend Biden for showing common sense, but I still get the feeling that he is treating the symptoms, rather than the disease. Our foreign policy needs a radical redux in my book, rather than a simple change of direction.
[ Parent ]
Never say never! (0.00 / 0)
I think you may be very pleasantly surprised by the change in direction of US foreign policy (as in complete polar opposite of what we've had to endure during the last 8 years) AND by the radical redux, too...just so long as you don't equate 'intervention' with 'diplomacy'.
[ Parent ]
I am talking (0.00 / 0)
a radical redux as in we get out of NATO and either scale the UN back to what it was supposed to be or get out of that too. I would also like for us to get out of the free-trade agreements and stop nation building. I can think of a very practical reason why we should not nation build.  
[ Parent ]
No country is an island, Fred! (0.00 / 0)
We're all living on this planet together and EVERYTHING is interconnected and interrelated.

Oh, I just thought of something that you would be interested in hearing. Thanks to LT Nixon, in a recent rant at his site, he highlighted a link to the audio of Senator Biden's recent comments that are the latest focus of attention by the incompetent and inept media and blogosphere - present site excepted, of course!

In this record 17-minute address, Senator Biden spoke not only of radically changing the direction of US foreign policy but of changing the whole damned (my emphasis) political chess board and how politics are conducted. When I heard him say that, I thought of you and of how close in thinking you are to the next VPOTUS!

Here's the link, courtesy of LT Nixon...and Fox News, no less...

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.co...

You have to scroll down to the last sentence for the one-word link to the audio (poor quality but good enough) to the entire 17-minute long remarks that everyone and their brother - from the media/blogosphere to Sarah Palin - seem to be having great difficulty in understanding. Geesh...

[ Parent ]
Diplomacy (0.00 / 0)
and Free Trade are fine. However, NATO's purpose no longer exists and the UN is not supposed to be anything near a one world government. Personally, I think the UN should serve as forum for world diplomacy and not much else. The UN should not be telling other nations what to do. As for nation building, we cannot afford it. We are 10 trillion dollars in debt and it hasn't been getting great results lately anyways.
[ Parent ]
In the case of nation-building in Afghanistan and Pakistan... (0.00 / 0)
...we can't bloody afford not to!

Yes, there is a very dismal record on this sort of thing...but all of that is on the verge of taking a radical departure from business as usual. Mark my words! :)

[ Parent ]
I'd (0.00 / 0)
say we can afford not to. We could certainly use alot more diplomacy in the region, but no nation building. If anything, nation building here may cause more harm than good to us. With the history of nation building in the region, we might as well be flushing money down the toilet. Besides, it may cause resentment.

http://www.jamestown.org/terro...

I think we need to focus entirely on killing AQ types. In fact, I would be perfectly happy with the Afghans seeing as little of us as possible, aside from taking out AQ types.  

[ Parent ]
The way I see it, (0.00 / 0)
if we "focus entirely on killing AQ types", then we will be having to focus on killing AQ types for an eternity...ad infinitum...FOREVER!

Maybe we better compare notes on what exactly we both mean by "nation-building"...when it's not so late!

[ Parent ]
Maybe not (0.00 / 0)
That is if we deal with a certain country on Iraq's southern border. We can't just focus on killing AQ types overall. However, killing off AQ types by the bushel would be the first step and is a task we could use some serious help with, hence where diplomacy will come in. It would also help if we construct alliances designed to face the issues at hand, rather than using alliances designed for a threat which has not existed for 17 years.  
[ Parent ]
Do you remember a David Brooks piece in the NYTimes - quite a while back now (0.00 / 0)
He talked about a coalition of democracies, or some such thing...I'll try to find the link sometime...but I remember thinking that he was definitely on to something.

You do make a very good point about old institutions like the UN that need to be re-designed, if possible.

I still believe that, given competent and enlightened US leadership - NOT US domination - can save the day and, with any luck, we'll get to see it in action very soon.

[ Parent ]
I do (0.00 / 0)
remember that, but it is hardly the answer, for the US is not even a democracy technically. Now I do think that we need to govern according to our constitution with limited government and maximum personal freedom. If we show the world a shining example of a prosperous, free society, then maybe it will inspire the rest of the world to follow our example. I would even like the idea of a sort of Freedom Institute, whose sole purpose would be to show the rest of the world the merits of a free society and offer advice on meeting such a goal. However, this Institute would never use coercion or bully tactics and should run free of taxpayer funds.    
[ Parent ]
I give up. (0.00 / 0)
I'm KIDDING!

Seriously, I really do think that much of the rest of the world is ready, willing and able to follow the example of America...we're just waiting for solid leadership, that's all we ask.

[ Parent ]
An interview with Nir Rosen (4.00 / 2)
I have a lot of respect for Nir Rosen.  His journalism opened a lot of eyes and provided a lot of intelligence into the Taliban and into just how far they have penetrated into Afghanistan.  Here is a video of Nir Rosen's interview to add to Brandon's post.



"Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home."

Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 BC-43 BC

This "poll" comes as no surprise (0.00 / 0)
Especially since it is being touted by Fox News right after General Powell's Obama endorsement.  Given all of what we have heard from McCain and noting his lack of judgment (I.E. Palin and Afghanistan) I find it hard to believe that the active duty woudl support him large numbers especially after the Rosen article.  Even with his military service and foreign policy experience John McCain has gotten pretty much everything ass backwards or completely wrong when it comes to fighting wars.  Only a fool would follow John McCain.

Military Times poll: Troops backing McCain

Sen. John McCain enjoys overwhelming support from the military's professional core, a Military Times survey of nearly 4,300 readers, indicates, though career-oriented black service members strongly favored the Democratic Party candidate.

http://www.militarytimes.com/n...

"Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home."

Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 BC-43 BC

If (0.00 / 0)
I remember correctly, the bulk of the military rank and file leaned towards being socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Neither Obama nor McCain are fiscally conservative, but McCain's supporters leave one to doubt that he is socially liberal, either.
[ Parent ]
Paul Reickhoff (IAVA) addressed this poll (4.00 / 1)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

He said it much better than I can:

The Military Times poll is a voluntary poll, not a scientific one. That means they didn't take a random sample. Random sampling may sound like wonk-speak, but it's absolutely crucial if you want your poll to be representative of a larger group. Using nonrandom samples is like offering free ham sandwiches at a PETA convention -- your results aren't going to be typical.


We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. -Barack Obama
[ Parent ]
This is Off Topic (0.00 / 0)
But no open, and I think you should read this, it speaks Volumes:

Money to Honor Veterans

What does it say when a society sends its young off to war to sweat and bleed and die - but has trouble coming up with money to publicly recognize their efforts?
 

'Hearts and Minds, "The ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live there." -- President Lyndon Johnson
LakeWorth, Fl...Barack Obama at Jobs Forum today (4.00 / 1)
[ Parent ]
This Op-Ed (0.00 / 0)
As he writes, frankly is disgusting, with all the money in Palm Beach County, and I'll just bet other places start reporting the same!!

'Hearts and Minds, "The ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live there." -- President Lyndon Johnson
[ Parent ]
About the Article (4.00 / 1)
It was tough for me to read for all the reasons that Brandon stated.  I'm very glad I read it.  It's hard for me to understand the Taliban because I've never experienced anything like that.  Then again, the Taliban have never really experienced our lives either:
Rifling through my bags, he seems particularly fascinated by my toothbrush. Puzzled, he riffles the bristles with his finger, trying to deduce their purpose.

For a man who has spent much of the past 24 hours contemplating whether I was worth more to him dead or alive, the Doctor is now surprisingly friendly. "What can I do for you?" he asks, a model of courtesy.

This is a man who kills as easily as I brush my teeth.

I agree, Brandon, that there is a ton of value in this kind of reporting.  We've gone into Afghanistan with a uniformed army, and the Taliban is a bunch of fractured groups in "civilian" clothing.  I don't know how to fight that, but understanding and learning about them is a good place to start.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. -Barack Obama

Embedding with the Taliban | 31 comments
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