U.S. Must Adopt Political Strategy In Afghanistan, Says AEI Expert

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

In a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday, Dr. Frederick W. Kagan, a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, called on the Obama administration to develop a political strategy in Afghanistan as an accompaniment to General Stanley McChrystals request for additional troops and a counterinsurgency campaign.

“We need to know what the administration’s political strategy in this crisis is going to be. Of course it’s not in General McChrystals plan, because it’s not his remit to develop a political strategy,” Kagan said.

“In order to conduct an effective counterinsurgency campaign you have to address the problems of the illegitimacy of the government that fuel insurgency...if the government was seen as legitimate you wouldn’t have an insurgency,” explained Kagan.

Gen. McChrystal’s assessment on the war in Afghanistan called for a “surge” of approximately 40,000 troops, and said protecting the Afghan populations is its highest priority. His assessment also included the key element of partnering with the National Afghan Security Forces (NASF). The assessment concluded that a partnership with the NASF would therefore hold the Afghan government more accountable.

J Alexander Thier, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the United States Institute of Peace said, “I believe apart from the troops, we need to focus much more intensively on this effort to create government accountability and capacity particularly at the sub-national level.”

“Gen. McChrystal has done his homework...what we need to see is the homework for the rest of the effort, which is a political strategy to go along with this,” Kagan added.

House Armed Services Chair Backs McChrystal's Afghan Strategy

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

In a hearing Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Ranking member Howard McKeon (R-Calif.) said they both strongly support General Stanley McChrystal’s proposed counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy in Afghanistan and have sent a letter to McChrystal requesting him to testify before the Committee.

Retired U.S. Army General Jack Keane echoed a similar sentiment during his testimony before the committee, saying the U.S. must “put in play a COIN strategy with the appropriate military, civilian and financial resources.”

Gen. Keane, who retired in 2003, described the U.S. attempt of counter-terrorism (CT) in Iraq between 2003-2007 and said during that period of time “we were failing and we nearly lost the country.” He says the situation in Afghanistan has "simply gotten worse” because of the CT strategy being used in currently. He believes CT strategies are valuable, but must be used as a compliment to a “fully integrated civil-military counterinsurgency strategy.”

Gen. Keane cautioned the use of a COIN strategy without the proper amount of troops or resources saying it will “fail and fail miserably.”

However, a voice of dissent came from Dr. Paul Pillar, former Deputy Directory of the CIA’s Counter-terrorist Center, who instead believes the U.S. should avoid bolstering its military presence.

"An expanded military effort in the cause of counterinsurgency in Afghanistan would be unwarranted," Pillar said. The former CIA official went on to say he believes the cost of counterinsurgency, U.S. equities, monetary resources and American lives, would outweigh the benefit.

"Last week the President told members of congress that his decision [on the war in Afghanistan] will be timely," McKeon said during the hearing's close. "My hope and expectation is that the President will make a decision on resources in the coming week and stick with it."

"Time is of the essence,” McKeon added.

Arizona Rep. Rallies Against Climate Of Fear Facing Latinos

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) delivered the keynote closing address of Hispanic Month at the Library of Congress Tuesday where he attacked the harsh tone the immigration debate has taken.

Grijalva said the “irrational fear” being targeted on Latino immigrants has led to a general fear of “those with perceived differences” such as language difference, skin color, culture or national origin. He believes these fears are the origin for an English-only movement in U.S. schools, a larger number of hate crimes against immigrants and a vigilante border situation.

“The fear and the hatred being generated against immigrants has a direct impact on all Latinos,” Grijalva warned.

Grijalva added, “when you hear the Glenn Becks and Lou Dobbs of the world ... they’re building an America that so obviously has no room for tolerance for many other Americans.” He noted, “its a movement based on denial...it’s a movement based on exclusion.”

Grijalva also said the foundation of this immigration movement is education.

“I think that education continues to be the cornerstone, and that’s where the largest investment has to go”, Grijalva said.

The Arizona Democrat says he believes the successful future of the Latino community depends on legislators providing more educational opportunities.

“We have a responsibility to make sure the education system is responsive to all children”, Grijalva said.

Dubai Sex Workers In Need Of NGOs Says Expert

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Woodrow Wilson Fellow Scholar and expert on Middle-Eastern studies Pardis Mahdavi spoke today about her findings on her ethnographic research on migrant workers and sex workers in the United Arab Emirates. She believes the creation of civil society organizations, or NGOs, aimed to support trafficked workers will end the abuse that is currently afflicting these men and women.

“My recommendation would be to actually strengthen civil society. There are a series of informal groups that are working on the ground to address the needs to migrant workers and sex workers,” said Mahdavi.

The 2009 annual Trafficking In Persons Report, or TIP, was released and placed the United Arab Emirates on the Tier 2 Watch list. The report defines nations on this list as having "governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.”

Mahdavi said that some of the recommendations made in the report are not designed to help trafficked people in the Persian Gulf. The report recommends a tightening of borders and an increase in police forces.

“Tightening borders typically actually only makes people more likely to end up in the informal economy, or more reliant on smugglers...they are more likely to rely on these shady middle men who put them in these cycles of violence,” she added.

Mahdavi emphasized the importance of accountability and transparency within these civil society organizations. She said if these NGOs are funded by the government and forced to comply with a series of standards in order to protect trafficked workers, abuses and more trafficking will be easily recognized and put to an end.

“What we need is transparency and accountability. These groups need to be accountable to one another,” she added.

Frank: Allow Parental Interment Alongside Fallen Soldiers

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced the Vet Parent Burial in National Cemeteries Act today. The legislation would allow the parents, or single parent, of a deceased veteran to be interred in a national cemetery in a plot owned by that deceased veteran. This amendment came before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee.

Denise Mansfield, the mother of fallen soldier Army Spc. Corey Shea, testified. Her original request for an exemption to this amendment was denied. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Frank both attended Shea’s funeral, and have asked for this legislation to be passed.

“The last thing a parent needs while stricken, as he or she may be, with this terrible tragedy is to have to then deal with red tape,” said Frank.

Frank’s amendment to the bill states that “If the Secretary determines there is enough space in open national cemeteries, the parent of a person...who at the time of the parent’s death, does not have a spouse, surviving spouse, or child who has been interred, if deceased, would be eligible to be interred in a national cemetery.”

“The disproportion between what this country owes her and what she’s asking is just as large as can be. She’s lost her son,” Frank added.