Lately I’ve had a bunch of people coming at me to say that I’m wrong about various things pertaining to #Afghanistan. So, a brief THREAD about being wrong. 1/n
I *wish* I was wrong about the things I write here & elsewhere about #Afghanistan. I *wish* the Afghan govt wasn’t a kleptocracy. I *wish* the #ANDSF weren’t failing operationally & institutionally. I *wish* the #Taliban weren’t ascendant. I *wish* the US was good at COIN. 2/n
I *wish* I didn’t have cause to write an op-ed with this title (warontherocks.com/2016/12/afghan…) & then to write this one 4 years later: lawfareblog.com/afghanistan-wi… 3/n
I *wish* the assessments of the threat in #Afghanistan & the #ANDSF that my team @CNA_org has produced weren’t as accurate & prescient as they have turned out to be. 4/n warontherocks.com/2018/12/five-y…
I *wish* I would stumble into a trove of reported facts that would convincingly show the Afghan govt as competent; the #ANDSF as successful protectors of Afghans; the US as effective at COIN; & the #Taliban as willing to contest their politics nonviolently. 5/n
In short, I *wish* those haters were right & I was WRONG. 6/n
But here’s the thing: I’m an analyst. I’ll go where the facts lead. And the facts show that the Afghan govt is shamelessly corrupt; the #ANDSF are failing to protect Afghans; the US is shockingly bad at COIN; & the #Taliban are murderous narcojihadist thugs. 7/n
If you’ve got FACTS that prove me wrong—BRING THEM ON. Seriously, show them to me & I’ll update my analysis accordingly. I’ll even admit I was wrong if need be. I’m not too proud to do so. But if you don’t have the facts, maybe think a bit about who’s *wrong* before you post. 8/8
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