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Dispatch from England
By The Anglo American | August 4, 2009
It would be hard to imagine the Pentagon making press releases criticizing the US government. It would be impossible to believe that a US government would retaliate by briefing against high-ranking Pentagon officials. But, in Britain, senior military officials are at war with their political bosses and their chosen weapon is words in a very public arena.
One of the more unsavory political devices used by the British Government over the past decade is the “off the record” briefings to the press, against individuals who criticize the government and its policies. In other words, shoot the messenger. No doubt Stalin would have approved of such tactics.
General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General staff was about to face Downing Street’s attack dogs later this month, intending to trash his reputation. That is, until Britain’s broadsheet, the Daily Telegraph revealed the smear campaign against him.
Sir Richard has repeatedly found himself at the other end of the table when it comes to government support of the military. In fear of a complete breakdown in trust the Defense Secretary, Bob Ainsworth has told all is staff to present a united front with the military to the press.
Now the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee has opened up a second front against the government. This is surprising since Labor {Labour} parliamentarians dominate the committee.
The committee concluded that the mission of British troops has failed in Afghanistan because it has not provided the military “with clear direction”.
It also disputed the security claims, made by ministers, that the British mission was restricting the flow of drugs from Afghanistan into Europe. The committee said the strategic threat was “debatable.”
Eighteen months ago it became very clear that poppy production was on the increase. At the time The Anglo American commented that the resulting heroin would be a significant financial resource for Afghan and Pakistani terrorists - bankrolling a new wave of sophisticated weapons. It has proven to be.
To enforce the committee’s point the government should have seen that a political solution might have proved better than the military one taken so far.
Had the mandarins in London instructed their men on the ground to buy poppies, at any cost, the region’s terrorist would have lost their military funding. To kill the trade altogether the farmers could have been offered more money to grow food crops than poppies, to the benefit of all the population.
The British Government would have saved many soldiers lives had it killed the poppy- trade.
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