Donald Rumsfeld was a key figure in shaping geopolitics today. He played a significant role in the US's involvement in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and pursued policies that caused bitter divisions at home.He was the US defense secretary under two presidents. He was heavily influenced in part by neocon ideologues in George W Bush's administration. This helped to create a blueprint for Americas foreign and defence policy, whose effects still resonate to this day.Rumsfeld, who was 88 years old, died Wednesday. He was a veteran politician and counsellor to Richard Nixon in 1960s. Rumsfeld was also a senior member Gerald Ford's administration and Middle-East Envoy under Ronald Reagan. Rumsfeld was also a three-term congressman and a permanent envoy for NATO as well as the White House chief of staff.Rumsfeld was appointed by President Ford as the defense secretary in 1975. He saw the transition from conscription into volunteer armed forces and sought to reverse the decline in defence budget and increase the military manpower, nuclear and conventional arsenals of the country.This caused tensions with Henry Kissinger, secretary of state, who was involved in the SALT talks (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks), with the Soviet Union.The transcripts of telephone conversations reveal that Kissinger asked Ford to tell Rumsfeld to go along with the negotiations. Rumsfeld and George Bush senior had a long-standing animosity. Bush was the Director of CIA.Bush's son appointed Rumsfeld as defense secretary again just before 9/11. Rumsfeld's influence grew to its peak under George W Bush, before eventually coming crashing down.Many prominent neocons were part of the Bush administration, including Paul Wolfowitz and Elliott Abrams. Richard Perle, Paul Bremer, and Richard Perle. Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, though not identified as neo-cons, allowed their ideas, especially regarding Israel's role in the Middle-East, to be implemented.This group was aided in part by Tony Blair's government in Britain who orchestrated the invasion of Iraq under false pretenses that Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction.Any hope of a peaceful path to a new government was destroyed when the Coalition Provisional Authority appointed Bremer as its head. Bremer, in his role as the effective shogun of Iraqi, initiated the policy de-Baathification which had disastrous results.Rumsfeld supported the Bush administration's previous invasion of Afghanistan. Rumsfeld was a strong supporter of the Bush administration's earlier invasion of Afghanistan. Rumsfeld was also a key player in the push to send vital resources to Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. The Taliban, who were supported by the Pakistani intelligence and military services, used the security vacuum to return to Afghanistan.Rumsfeld was subject to increasing criticism as the Iraqi situation unravelled amid violence and ferocious fighting. Rumsfeld was under intense scrutiny for his conduct during the conflict. However, the Senate Armed Services Committee found him to be responsible for the horrific abuse and torture scandal at Abu Ghraib. Rumsfeld offered to resign twice, but Bush demanded that he continue.Eight retired generals and admirals from the US and NATO called for Rumsfeld's resignation in 2006, accusing him both of poor military planning and strategic incompetence. According to reports, 75% of the field officers shared their views.Rumsfeld attempted to discredit the accusations, and President Bush stood firm. The criticism continued unabated and the defense secretary resigned just before the 2006 mid-term elections. It was not announced until the election day and senior Republicans reacted by saying that it might have saved votes if the news had been out earlier.Rumsfeld was, to a certain extent, a scapegoat in the failure of the US government in Iraq. However, he was unable to accept the fact that his policies were flawed.It is also true that the policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East contributed to extremist radicalisation among Muslims, fuelling the rise al-Qaeda/Isis in the region, and bringing jihad into Europe and America.Rumsfeld was encountered by journalists covering these wars a few times. During a 2004 visit in Mazhar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, Rumsfeld told a group reporters that the Taliban have been marginalised and are effectively finished. They will no longer play any role in Afghanistan.He wasn't the only American or British leader to fail to see how the events would unfold in an invading land.
