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The Rolling Stone article that cost Gen. Stanley McChrystal his job also revealed another kink in the U.S. war effort: "For many troops, the strict rules of engagement -- overlaid with tactical directives meant to limit civilian casualties -- are a source of confusion and, they contend, are putting U.S. soldiers in greater danger," Time magazine now reports.
Gen. David Petraeus, McChrystal's successor, is revisiting the rules, but it's unclear whether he'll change them. He remains committed to the same counterinsurgency strategy -- COIN in military parlance -- which dictates that an occupying army can't just shoot people if it hopes to win the native population to its cause.
Of course, the limits of COIN are clear to anyone familiar with military history. (See: Vietnam.) And in Afghanistan, it's unclear that any tweak of strategy will bring about victory in a conflict that's spanned nine years with no end in sight. Just as it's unclear what exactly a "victory" in Afghanistan would be.
Petraeus to Review Rules of Engagement, But Big Changes Unlikely
Jul 7, 2010 – 8:21 AM
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