I've studied all the pros and cons. There are valid arguments to justify each side of the issue, and there are still more valid arguments to slap each side down. And if the basic decision were left up to me, I'm not sure what I would do. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
In his willingness to admit that Afghanistan is a complex problem with many unknowns, Kaplan ends up writing a piece that helped me think through the pros and cons, without doing the thinking for me.
The bigger question now emerges is that whether an escalation is justified or not, and analysts, taking sides. What can I say? Journalists are not living in isolated islands. The piece must be good, but I'm not inspired.
a thoughtful analysis on so many of those factors which matter in the choices the president must make (and now has) on what to do next in afghanistan. the writer points out the difficulty in even knowing whether or not it's right to continue, then goes on to the difficult choices if (as it will) the war does continue. the piece is stronger for the focus on these, not on the views of congress, american people nor on elections.
this story resonates with myself and my own ambivalence, and i imagine with so many others. president obama must live with his reflections on the consequences of his decision and how fortunate we are not to be in that position.
Fred Kaplan wrote a very personal and serious article offering his thoughts about the Afghan war. His point of view might not evoke confidence in the U.S. public concerning future success of some war strategy, but it offers a good and honest account of the difficult situation the Obama administration is confronted with.
In this article, I miss the issue of winning over "the hearts and minds" of the Afghan population. What can be done to help the Afghans find a better and peaceful life, a life in prosperity? Do ordinary Afghans get hope for their future with the help of U.S. and NATO forces?
Communists ruling South Vietnam was never a serious threat to our security; al-Qaida controlling a huge swath of South Asia is. More »
Second, as smart as those two generals (and many of their advisers) are, how much do they really know about Afghan tribal politics, which (as they do know) are far more ... More »
I have to agree with almost all that this author has to say since this Afgan mess is such a heavily laden two edged coin. For sure it is very difficult to find the correct avenues of battle.
As for fighting from afar: With a mix of special-operations forces and airstrikes, it’s appealing in the abstract, but it neglects the mundane realities of ... More »
Kaplan claims there is "little doubt" the Taliban would soon return to power in Kabul if the US pulled out, and that al-Qaeda would be offered "sanctuary and alliance". In fact, this assertion in almost certainly untrue as regards al-Qaeda. Kaplan does not consider why Obama is not following the advice of the Russians and the Iranians, who say the US military acitivities in Afghanistan only make matters worse.
Obama is wading deeper into the Afghan quagmdire and he has shown himself as lacking the strategic sense to have pulled US troops out of Iraq and stopped the pouring of scores of billions of dollars down that rathole.
Retrieving Comments
