Lessons of the Afghan War.

• Author: Doherty, Brian
• Position: Soundbite - Interview

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In June 2010 Rolling Stone published "The Runaway General," which portrayed Gen.

Stanley McChrystal, then commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, as reckless and contemptuous of White House authority. Before the issue even A hit newsstands, President Barack Obama relieved McChrystal of command. The author of the piece, journalist Michael Hastings, turned additional reporting surrounding his scoop into The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan (Blue Rider). Senior Editor Brian Doherty interviewed Hastings by phone in February.

Q: Some journalists thought you violated unwritten rules by portraying the general and his men in such an unflattering, if true, light. Did you suffer any career backlash?

A: One of the things I hope I accomplished is proving that you can do this, and if the reporting is accurate and honest you can maintain a career doing it; you can do it again and again. I can reach a wide audience without the approval of The New York Times' Pentagon correspondent. I've opened more doors than have [been] shut in my face. In reporting people come to you if they know you are taking them seriously if they have a story to tell, and they want to have an impact.

Q: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced in February that we might be leaving Afghanistan a year ahead of schedule, in 2013. If so, do you think the counterinsurgency strategy (COIN) pushed by the Afghan commanders will be seen as a success?

A: With some sort of Western proxy nominally in charge and an Afghan Army and police that look good on paper, they will say it was worth it. In terms of how the American public views it, in my understanding they view the war on terror and in Afghanistan as won when we killed Osama [bin Laden]. The other stuff is tangential, though expensive and borderline criminal.

COIN was a bad idea when we first did it in the 1960s in Vietnam and has remained a bad idea...