Distinguished CCLP Fellow Warren Bennis was interviewed for The Washington Post‘s “On Leadership” section of the paper’s website, offering his opinion on the forced resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal by President Barack Obama. In his piece, Bennis discusses the abrupt change of leadership in the war in Afghanistan and how it could effect the outcome of the ongoing nine year conflict. Gen. McChrystal was removed from his position leading all military forces in Operation Enduring Freedom on Wednesday after the publication of negative comments he and his aides made in an article in Rolling Stone magazine about the current Presidential administration. Gen. David Petraeus is taking command of the International Security Assistance Force and commander of United States Forces in Afghanistan.
Bennis agrees with Obama’s decision for replacement, citing that this is not the first misstep the former General has made in undermining the authority of his superiors. “Not too many months ago the gaffe prone General in London responded to a question with an unauthorized opinion. He should have been discharged then.” Bennis also states that McChrystal’s comments could not have come at a more turbulent time. “[McChrystal] has not only undermined his boss during a war but has engendered a fractious atmosphere at the top level of his command. …[I]f I had a kid fighting in Afghanistan, I’d be terrified and enraged.”
According to Bennis, Gen. Petraeus was the best choice in replacement for the disgraced commander. “With his excess smarts and charm plus his contextual intelligence, he is a brilliant choice, smart enough to realize that the strategy he helped create is un-winnable, at least not winnable in the unrealistic drawdown period Obama announced last year.”
President Obama stated that troops will begin to be drawn out of Afghanistan beginning in early 2011, with a full withdrawal being completed by July 2011. Bennis believes that if Pres. Obama wishes to keep true to his deadline, then choosing Petreaus to take over in Afghanistan was the best decision that could have been made. “He the right person at the right time to construct a brilliant, if not seamless, exit strategy.”
Prof. Bennis is a regular contributor to “On Leadership” at The Washington Post. The full article can be read here.