Patience, resolve and time needed to win in Afghanistan

Telegraph:

Gen McChrystal described the current situation as ''serious'' with violence on the increase.

Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, he said that in the past international forces had been under resourced, and in some areas under performed, and that they needed to change the way that they operated.

'The situation is serious and I choose that word very, very carefully,'' he said. ''Neither success nor failure in our endeavour in support of the Afghan people and government can be taken for granted.''

Gen McChrystal's review of operations in Afghanistan - including a request for up to 40,000 additional troops - is being looked at by the US administration of President Barrack Obama.

He said that while success was still possible it would require "patience, resolve and time".

At the same time, he acknowledged that they did not have an indefinite amount of time to defeat the Taliban insurgency.

"These efforts will not remain winnable indefinitely. Public support will not last indefinitely," he said.

Success, he said, would depend upon convincing ordinary Afghans that the coalition forces could deliver a better life for them. That in turn meant changing the way the troops operated.

"We must redefine the fight. The objective is the will of the Afghan people. We must protect the Afghan people from all threats - from the enemy, from our own actions," he said.

...

Obviously to do that we will need more troops to defend the people. His biggest problem is the lack of strategic patience on the part of many Democrats in Washington. If we lose this war it will be lost in Washington if Congress does not support the commanders and give them the resources they need to win.

McChrystal is also quoted as saying that a Taliban jobs program would cause 50 to 80 percent of them to quit fighting. He is probably more optimistic than I am in that regard.