Welcome to my world

[SFAT]

http://www.stripes.com/news/afghans-...iency-1.182972

This article beautifully captures the obstacles we face on a daily basis as Advisors.

I still don't understand why they think this is all going to work out....

[Bill Moore]

Funny that it takes a Navy SEAL to point out the obvious to the Army and Marine COIN experts that have been running the show over there for years.

At the same time, though, Sheppard said Western forces are partly to blame for stoking the belief that the coalition would always ride to the rescue. For years, the coalition funded many projects and programs, without involving higher levels of the Afghan government, and took the lead in solving a slew of problems, obviating the need for Afghan officials to seek aid from their government.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly criticized the provincial reconstruction teams for that approach, blaming them for undermining his government’s effectiveness and authority — a characterization Sheppard and others said is not without merit.

“They are accustomed to not getting what they need from the Afghan government and getting what they need from the coalition,” said Nancy Abella, a State Department representative who works on the PRT’s staff.

[SFAT]

Precisely… We call it, “Advisor Fratricide”

[Wyatt]

So Karzai is complaining that we are stealing his opportunity to provide services for his people? Are we supposed to believe he's desperately striven for this since his presidency began?

Theres no doubt that the can do/will do attitude of most american combat men could lead them to not "waste time" going through the Afghan govt and instead do the project themselves.

My question to those with experience in this would be; Is it better to try to get the government to do it and see the funding poof and disappear or do it ourselves and create a dependency? SFAT's reply suggests the former is more valuable but the latter would suggest that people on the ground could see some net change. Or is the answer option C, neither.

[Dayuhan]

Is it better to try to get the government to do it and see the funding poof and disappear or do it ourselves and create a dependency? SFAT's reply suggests the former is more valuable but the latter would suggest that people on the ground could see some net change. Or is the answer option C, neither.

What is better would depend on what the goal is... and that's something I think we lose track of now and then.

[SFAT]

The word “no” and the phrase “use your own systems “ are like a broken record within my team. Advisors teams have an insatiable urge to “do for” and “pay for”, quite frankly it makes us feel like we’re making progress and getting things done. Only recently (since the start of my team’s tour) has the priority shifted to the “do it yourself” dynamic. It has proven to be quite the problem set with most teams because of the fact previous Advisors “did” and “paid” and now we are not.

In the Afghan mind we are bad advisors because we don’t help and support them. They consistently drop names of other Advisor teams who “did” and “paid” and question why we don’t do the same.

What’s the solution? Continue doing what we are doing. Do not “do” and “pay” anymore. The afghans must be cut loose of the USG umbilical cord once and for all. Yes, our relationships are suffering and will continue to suffer, but…. It is better for them to learn hard lessons while we are still here to help rather than two years from now.

But men, I’m here to tell ya, after eleven years there is still a long long way to go. Corruption is king and there is nothing that can be done about it.