I was listening to Weekday on my way in this morning, and I listened to James Lilley, a former Ambassador to China and old CIA hack. Fascinating to listen to him tell stories of detaining and interrogating the Pathet Lao in ’68, etc…
There was one point where Steve Scher, the host, asked him what he thought of Iraq. He said he had great faith in the war planners, that he’d worked with Wolfowitz in the 80s in East Asia to great success, he thought Rumsfeld was top notch, etc. But he also said he had two great reservations going in. At that point I expected him to say something about troop strength or internationalizing the coalition, but he didn’t. Instead he gave these two reservations, both of which clearly betrayed his CIA training: One, he said, the borders in Iraq were too porous, which was the same problem he’d experienced in Vietnam (and which is a big reason why Korea succeeded and Vietnam didn’t). And two, there was an endless base of support for the enemy. In Vietnam it was the Chinese, and in Iraq, it’s the endless supply of jihadists from around the area.
Smart. His book, coauthored with his son, is called China Hands: Nine Decades of Adventure, Espionage, and Diplomacy in Asia. Probably worth a read.
