Kim R. Holmes is former assistant secretary of State and is currently Vice President of The Heritage Foundation, a wealthy Conservative Think Tank in Washington D.C.
Recently, Dr. Holmes gave an interview where he criticized the U.S. role in our AfPak strategy.
Dr. Holmes believes that in November the current Administration will review its AfPak strategy to the effect of lowering expectations. Holmes see’s great error in how President Obama managed the war so far. The insistence on a public timeline for withdrawal is very damaging, along with the hand wringing and equivocation that lead up to his handling of AfPak.
But Dr. Holmes leaves his most curt remarks for the Obama Administrations meek stance toward Pakistan. It has never given Islamabad an ultimatum to stop playing double game with the Taliban. Expanding Drone Strikes into Pakistan territory may get the message through, but our AfPak Strategy must be to eliminate Taliban sanctuaries throughout Pakistan and the destruction of the Haqqani Network. Absent such wins, our AfPak Strategy is demoralized.
Unless anyone missed the political point in our AfPak COIN Doctrine: should the Taliban regain dominance in Afghanistan, it would be a defeat for American arms, a setback for American leadership and an invitation to more terror threats at home.
The virtue of COURAGE will be on display throughout November, especially how the Obama Administration pursues the Pakistani’s to eliminate its political friends: the Taliban who give sanctuary to al Qaeda.
William Holland
William Holland 