Even before David Petraeus’s scandal came to light, some unusual hard-hitting articles critical of the performance of US top generals in the war of Iraq and Afghanistan have recently appeared in the US media. One of these was published in the November edition of the Atlantic, authored by Thomas E. Ricks and titled ‘General Failure’.
Since the resignation of the CIA chief, a number of other reports have now surfaced that are raising serious concerns about the performance of US military and its top leadership.
The appearance of these critical reports soon after President Obama won the elections, and when there is a potential for dramatic cuts to the defense budget under the approaching fiscal cliff, may be an early indication that he plans to tackle the military and the proponents of hard power projection head-on during his second-term.
This possibly will impact the American approach to the Iran and Syrian crisis, as well as towards the unfinished war of Afghanistan.
