The third post in a row on Afghanistan…:
I suspect some on the political right unequivocally support any plan, though many reasonable people support McChrystal’s thinking, which should be given a chance to succeed they argue, and is designed to correct 8 years of misallocated resources and misguided strategy. Some on the left support the equality of opportunity for women (as in the video above, which is well done and reported)…perhaps even enough that some could be convinced to support the war.
Here’s a quote by Samuel Huntington, which might shed some light:
“Although the professional soldier accepts the reality of never-ending and limited conflict, “the liberal tendency,” Huntington explained, is “to absolutize and dichotomize war and peace.” Liberals will most readily support a war if they can turn it into a crusade for advancing humanistic ideals. That is why, he wrote, liberals seek to reduce the defense budget even as they periodically demand an adventurous foreign policy.
So…why does the Taliban keep coming back? What political, social, and economic conditions allow for this to happen? Where is Afghan public support strong enough to prevent the kind of Islamic rule supported by the Taliban and set up their own governance, if a majority of Afghans, in fact, reject the Taliban (or at least their reactionary form of Islam)?
What common goals and mutual interests do Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States share that justifies our military presence in the face of these odds?
Addition: What can we do to alter our strategy to address the threat of radical Islamic terrorism that finds a home in Afghanistan?
Also On This Site: From The Washington Post: Andrew Bacevich ‘Let’s Beat the Extremists Like We Beat the Soviets’…From Foreign Policy: ‘Evaluating Progress In Afghanistan-Pakistan’…From The WSJ: Graham, Lieberman and McCain “Only Decisive Force Can Prevail In Afghanistan’…
Anthony Cordesman At CSIS: Resourcing For Defeat
