Michael Hastings (2) (1980–2013)

Excellent on reporting, and if the book were only that I'd rate it quite high. However, the late author goes farther and gets into analysis at the end that seems to make the case for a US pullout from the war -- and there's the problem, since the book does not even begin to get into a full picture of the reasons for a military presence there -- clearly, he never understood, perhaps even received an explanation from the enemy perspective (ie, re: Khorasan), and so, like so many, reaches (and worse, spreads) a conclusion based on incomplete information. In sum, good writing, bad analysis, which makes this book dangerous due to the serious global implications of getting this wrong. (I suspect had he not been killed, he not only would have exposed more truth, he would have come to an understanding of the larger matter.)… (mehr)

Most people reading "The Operators" will be aware of the fact that General Stanley McChrystal resigned his position as commander of the International Security Assistance Force and the top US military officer in Afghanistan, following the publishing of an article in "Rolling Stone" magazine which attributed a number of unflattering remarks about civilian leaders in Washington and Afghanistan to members of the General's staff. The author of that article was Rolling Stones staff writer Michael Hastings, and this book, "The Operators", is Hastings more detailed story.

It's probable that McChrystal felt somewhat betrayed by the release of these unflattering comments by Hastings, a writer who was allowed unfettered access to the General and his staff in Afghanistan. But there is no implied allegiance between journalists and the military, and Hastings no doubt felt he owed his readers his honest impressions of the war and its progress. Whether it was necessary to reveal typical "locker room" comments made by members of the General's staff, recognizing that soldiers are likely to complain about most everything, is subject to further discussion, but the result was that McChrystal felt obliged to offer his resignation after the release of so many insubordinate and unflattering comments by his staff.

The Army conducted a follow-up review of the Rolling Stones article, and could not find evidence to support many of the Hastings allegations. McChrystal himself subsequently wrote his own book, "My Share of the Task", which I haven't yet read, and may give some additional insights into the events which led to his resignation. Because of the controversy associated with the Rolling Stones article, its consequences, and because the subsequent military review raises questions about the article, "The Operators" is interesting in that it offers much more background and details than was originally included in the Rolling Stones article. Hastings left me with the feeling that his reporting was most likely accurate, and was treated dismissively by the military mostly because it's hard for them to admit, as the article pointed out, that we've made such limited lasting progress after nine years of military action there.
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As a US Army Veteran that served for 8 years and did two combat tours (one during the first six months of the war with Iraq and one later with an ADA unit), so much of what Hastings describes regarding military culture, the feeling on the ground among people who are actually doing the work and the disconnect that often exists between command officers (and sometimes E-8s) and the rest of the troops is spot on. It was also nice to see a real profile of higher ranking people that portrays them as human beings with victories and failures, rather than as mythologized, perfect representations of the military ethos. The spin that comes from the top down always annoyed me, because it felt like an insult to intelligence to try to present our leaders as perfect men while the rest of us were just scum, trying to scrape our way up a ladder to humanhood. It was nice to see a real face put on real people in a real war, reminding America that something's happening over there and that shit is far from clear. When you finish reading this book, you'll be asking the question that should be asked: Why are we in Afghanistan and what is it we hope to accomplish there, and is that hoped for outcome even feasible?… (mehr)