Ahmed Rashid at PostGlobal

Ahmed Rashid

Lahore, Pakistan

Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist based in Lahore, was the Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, for 22 years until the magazine was recently closed down. He presently writes for the Daily Telegraph in London, the International Herald Tribune, the New York Review of Books, BBC Online, The Nation, and academic and foreign affairs journals. He appears regularly on international TV and radio stations such as CNN and BBC World Service. Close.

Ahmed Rashid

Lahore, Pakistan

Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist based in Lahore, was the Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, for 22 years until the magazine was recently closed down. more »

Main Page | Ahmed Rashid Archives | PostGlobal Archives


Fix Rumsfeld's Mess

Lahore, Pakistan - The defense secretary waged incompetent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, undermined the U.S. military, introduced torture, destroyed U.S. credibility worldwide, lied to the American people

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All Comments (30)

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Vulcan, Edison, US:

Rumsfeld was heavily responsible for this as well as Powell and Armitrage.
The war required neutralizing pakistans ability to do create trouble in afghanistan from the getgo.
IMNHO US also needs a whole bunch of civilians working under the military to build up infrastructure in afghanistan.

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Jim, Madison, USA:

"Ha... you liberals are all the same. Rummy and crew have taken the USA to new levels of power and glory. And even if the liberal wussies take congress Bush actaully stands up for what he believes and will not let Rummy go without a fight!"

Yep, that turned out. Next prognostication, please.

Solange:

"Violence just begats violence, creates hatred and radical acts."

Unfortunately, it also creates lucrative disaster capitalism profiteering opportunities for corporations like Bechtel and Haliburton...

Doug Cape Town:

The world is an unsafer place because of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.
Most Muslims are peace loving family oriented people. But more and more radical fanatics have been created by Israel and USA by following blindly the course of armed action and occupation of foreign lands.
As South Africa and Northern Ireland showed War War did not bring peace. Talk Talk brings peace. Discussion and negotiation over years with continual small compromises on both sides ends in peace. Violence just begats violence, creates hatred and radical acts.
Civilised people and countries realise that discussion is the way to get people to agree and not using a gun or bomb.
People become terrorists if they believe they are victimised and have no way of changing the circumstances of their kith and kin. Do not marginalise radical movements bring them close. It is more humane and cheaper than armed violence.
No one likes bullies. So please Israel and USA start talking and stop using violence as the only solution.

magdy omar -alex-egypt:

taking about human interference,put g.bosh ,rumsfeld,blair,in the same cage with sadam hussein.also apply the guilt by association crap to the rest of the world leaders.taking about human values,practice what you preach,and see the trunk in your owen eyes befor you see the staw in the eyes of the others.this is a recorded univesal values .

Solange:

"9- DO I NEED TO CONTINUE?"

You forgot to mention Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Project for a New American Century's campaign to privatize Iraq's publicly owned resources to allow "foreign companies" (like Bechtel) to jack the Iraqi cost of living up while looting 100% of future profits.

Karim:

Rumsfeld's record:

1- Over 600,000 civilian deaths since the invasion

2- 50,000 Iraqis flee their country every single month.

3- 1.8 million refugees displaced internally

4- 1.2 million refugees in neighboring countries

5- 39% of Iraq's population is under the age of 15. How many children have suffered?

6- Over 80% if Iraq's institutions of higher educations have been destroyed, looted and burnt down

7- The current Iraq's school curriculum is a U.S-crafted (by the Pentagon) curriculum to brainwash Iraqi with US government propaganda.

8- In Baghdad, most neighborhoods only have power for few hours per day. The Green Zone where the war criminals sit and direct their immoral war is powered 24/7.

9- DO I NEED TO CONTINUE?

THIS WAR IS A CRIME.

Solange:

In his quest for total control of the universe, Rumsfeld has greatly damaged military and civil service professionalism.
During his tenure, we have witnessed outstanding civilian and military personnel be pushed aside, passed by or worse, in favor of Rummybutt-snorklers. In the meantime, a plethora of poor-quality civilian managerial and military officer PowerPoint rangers are moving into supervisory roles for which many are woefully unqualified.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Life in the Emerald City is just the tip of the iceberg...

By reducing outside-party oversight, Rumsfeld-induced changes to DoD civil service codes are in the process of ensuring that nepotism, cronyism, fraud, waste and abuse become the legally entrenched foundation for what will eventually prove a crumbling system.

For an archetypical example of Rumsfeld/Cheney's attack on civil service, and by extension the American public, Google "Bunnatine Greenhouse," "Haliburton," and "contracting fraud."

It's quite enlightening.

Ricardo, Rutland, VT:

"great strides"? please. I ask, where is BIn Laden, the man responsible for 9/11? Rumsfeld is the first to get what he deserves. I hope the rest pay their dues for their arrogance, criminality, and their lies. They will be seen as the most corrupt administration to ever serve.

Doug High Point, NC:

What's the meaning of impeaching someone who's already resigned?

Barbara, Scottsdale, U.S:

I am very disappointed that Donald Rumsfeld had to resign. It is a very tough position that he has held. It's no easy job for anyone. He has been tough as nails and that's what you need to do in this type of situation is to show strength. We're dealing with irrational insurgents and he was able to make great strides against them. The media is always first to show the missteps but how much have they covered of the positive steps that have been made over there under Rumsfeld's leadership?

Karim:

Removing them from office is not enough.

They need be prosecuted for the crimes of Iraq.

Amy, Minneapolis, U.S.:

The definition of fascism includes the 'suppression of criticism and opposition.' In denigrating any opposing voice (whether from inside or out), some of these comments ironically extol the virtues of fanaticism.

Again ironic: Hitler's rhetoric was nearly identical with this confidence in 'righteous might.' The 'divine light of democrat rule' equates God with a certain form of government, blazing a path toward American theocracy.

And again ironic: the very people saying we have no business listening to a foreign voice are themselves commenting on foreign affairs, hoping to be heard and taken seriously.

People incapable of critique from the outside will end up destroying the very things they wish to preserve.

Scott, New York, USA:

I think the comment is extremely well taken. There is little doubt at this point about Rumsfeld's rampant criminality. He has used the powers of SecDef to obscure much of it. He needs to be removed from office and then we need a special prosecutor to start looking at what he did, pealing back all the fraudulently applied national security classifications. There are serious war crimes for sure, and much abuse of office.

Bo, New London, NH:

Don't you love how European and Middle Eastern elitists are so quick to condemn the USA for the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? War was brought to us on 9/11. Had it not been for those Islamic wackos we would not have been compelled to take on the fascists around the world. Whether they are Islamic Fascists in Afghanistan or Baathist Fascists in Baghdad, this was not a war of our choosing. America in her righteous might will bring the divine light of democratic rule to the world. That will be the Bush legacy.

finemann:

Amen to Mark! Mr Rashid why don't you tackle the problem of anti Semitic Islamic fascists in Pakistan, and we will worry about Mr Rumsfeld here in America. The problem is not the Bush Administration. The problem is radical Islam. we must wipe it out, and introduce secular rule. Then this debate will be over.

upsman, Trenton, NJ:

why are we letting someone from Lahore lecture us on how to run our own country? If foreigners want a say in how things work in America then they should immigrate here and become citizens. Until then they can keep their opinions to themselves.

Solange:

It's not enough to impeach them...Congress needs to review the damage that has been done to civil service and other public institutions. Rumsfeld's movement towards corporate style management has already put a dent in civil service checks and balances against elected and, especially, appointed officials' abuses. The "spoils system" is already on the road to being reinstitited. If somebody doesn't step in and ensure whistleblower and other protections are re-secured, the whole system will be running like the Banana Republic Rummy's been dreaming of since he came on board.

Vikki, Colorado Springs, CO:

I think we all agree mistakes have been made. The difference is that Bush and Rumsfeld want to move forward and are seeking victory. The liberal naysayers simply want to point their fingers and say 'na na we told you.' That is not how you win a war. I voted for Bush twice and once again I voted for the winning team today.

Mark, Allentown, PA:

Yea no kidding.... Rumsfeld is just the man we need for the tought times we are in. Who the hell cares what some guys in Pakistan think. What we need to do is bomb more of their madrassas like we did last week.

Matt, DC, USA:

Ha... you liberals are all the same. Rummy and crew have taken the USA to new levels of power and glory. And even if the liberal wussies take congress Bush actaully stands up for what he believes and will not let Rummy go without a fight!

GaryV, San Francisco, USA:

There should be a clean sweep including the second and third rung guys. We should also include those that have caused damage and moved on such as Wolfowitz, Bremer et al. At a minimum they should never be allowed to serve in the Government again.

G Titman, Peachtree City GA USA:

I totally agree that Rumsfeld should be removed from office, but also Karl Rove and Vice Pres. Cheney. This triumvirate has been disastrous for the US, and I fear that if the Democrats aren't able to change a number of laws that the Republicans put in, the US is itself heading towards a dictatorship. So many laws need amending, so many procedures need cancelling -- I have been reminded of the fall of the Weimer Republic in Germany.
Thanks for all you write -- keep it up!

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