Stan vs. the volcano
Could Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s career — and possibly the Obama administration’s strategy in Afghanistan — be the latest victim of the Eyjafjallajökull effect? Michael Hastings, the freelance journalist who wrote the provocative piece about General McChrystal’s displeasure with the war effort, met the general and his staff in Paris right as the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted ...
Could Gen. Stanley McChrystal's career -- and possibly the Obama administration's strategy in Afghanistan -- be the latest victim of the Eyjafjallajökull effect?
Could Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s career — and possibly the Obama administration’s strategy in Afghanistan — be the latest victim of the Eyjafjallajökull effect?
Michael Hastings, the freelance journalist who wrote the provocative piece about General McChrystal’s displeasure with the war effort, met the general and his staff in Paris right as the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in Iceland, forcing the closure of the airspace over most of Europe.
As a result, Mr. Hastings waited in Paris with the general and his staff as they attempted to get to Berlin by bus. And Mr. Hastings then stayed in Berlin–whiling away days at the Ritz-Carlton hotel with General McChrystal for nearly a week while they waited for the ash cloud to clear so they could fly to Afghanistan.
Initially, Mr. Hastings was not scheduled to travel with the general and his staff to Afghanistan. Only after he arrived in Europe did Mr. Hastings learn that the general’s staff would be willing to take him with them.
This makes a lot of sense given what Peter Feaver describes as the "weekend in Vegas" feel of much of the piece. Of course, there’s no special off-the-record exemption for quotes given after a few too many Bud Light Limes during a long layover and McChrystal and his staff should still have known better. But in a chaos theory kind of way, it’s interesting to wonder just how big an impact on world history the ash cloud may turn out to have.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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