Inside Story Americas: Is David Petraeus Really a US War Hero?

November 13, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

A scandalous affair has brought down a man referred to by many as one of the greatest generals in US history. But how successful have David Petraeus's strategies really been in Iraq and Afghanistan? Until a few years ago, few people had heard of Petraeus. But in Washington DC, he has been long revered. His counter-insurgency strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan have been hailed as great successes. But his critics say, the legacy of his career is not that stellar and deserves far more scrutiny than the US media and politicians are willing to give it. Inside Story Americas reassesses his record.

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David Petraeus

David Howell Petraeus è un generale statunitense. Dal 10 febbraio 2007 al 15 settembre 2008 ha comandato l'Esercito degli Stati Uniti, in Iraq. Dal 31 ottobre 2008 è stato nominato Comandante dell'United States Central Command, che prevede la responsabilità strategica di tutto... Explore this topic

Iraq War troop surge of 2007

In the context of the Iraq War, the surge refers to United States President George W. Bush's 2007 increase in the number of American troops in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province. The surge had been developed under the working title "The New Way Forward"... Explore this topic

Afghanistan troop surge

No description provided Explore this topic

Counter-insurgency

A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency operation involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it. In the main, the insurgents seek to destroy or erase the political authority of the defending authorities ... Explore this topic

Afghanistan War

สงครามอัฟกานิสถาน เริ่มขึ้นเมื่อวันที่ 7 ตุลาคม พ.ศ. 2544 เมื่อกองทัพสหรัฐอเมริกา สหราชอาณาจักร ออสเตรเลียเครือจักรภพ และพันธมิตรฝ่ายเหนือเริ่มปฏิบัติการเสรีภาพยั่งยืน แรงขับสำคัญของการรุกรานมาจากวินาศกรรม 11 กันยายน พ.ศ. 2544 ต่อสหรัฐอเมริกา โดยมีเป้าหมายแถลงไว้ว่า เพื่อทำลาย... Explore this topic

Iraq War

The Iraq War was an armed conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first was an invasion of Ba'athist Iraq starting on 20 March 2003 by an invasion force led by the United States. It was followed by a longer phase of fighting, in which an insurgency emerged to oppose... Explore this topic

Iraq

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia encompassing the Mesopotamian alluvial plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. Iraq borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the... Explore this topic

Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked sovereign state forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and to some extent Western Asia. It has a population of around 30 million inhabiting an area of approximately 647,500 km², making it the 42nd ... Explore this topic

US Armed Forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States of America. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The U.S. has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military. The President of the United States is the mili... Explore this topic

Director of the CIA

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency serves as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which is part of the United States Intelligence Community. The Director reports to the Director of National Intelligence. The Director is assisted by the Deputy Director of t... Explore this topic

Also See

David Petraeus

Iraq War troop surge of 2007

Afghanistan troop surge

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