The understanding and meaning of strategy has got lost

[Bill Moore]

The Daily Beast has now interviewed Sir Hew Strachan, with some pithy comment here citing the “crazy” handling of the Syrian crisis as the most egregious example of a fundamental collapse in military planning that began in the aftermath of 9/11:

On what the professional should do. Part of the problem, Strachan contends, is that politicians are unduly worried about allowing military leaders to give frank and open advice. He criticized the way General Stanley McCrystal was forced to resign after making unflattering remarks about his political bosses in Washington:

Link:http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...the-world.html

Hat tip to Professor John Schindler, of NWC and a blogsite. His comment via Twitter:

This sums it nicely, Bush was astrategic and Obama is lost. The point about politicians not listening to military leaders is a point I have trying to make with Carl on another post. GEN Shinseki told Rumsfeld and others what size force it would take to stabilize Iraq was laughed at. An Army General that took the study of war seriously (not all do) and was a selfless servant was laughed at by an idiot SECDEF because his sound advice for winning didn't conform to the popular political hubris at the time.