Tag: afghanistan

All Bases Covered?

India, a rising power, almost had one (but the Tajiks said no). China, which last year became the world’s second largest economy as well as the planet’s leading energy consumer, and is expanding abroad like mad (largely via trade and the power of the purse), still has none. The Russians have a few (in Central … Continue reading “All Bases Covered?”

Gimme More Magna Carta!

On this very Web site I wrote a thing in March 2008, titled “What Should NATO Do?” It ended by worrying that NATO’s Afghanistan policy was in danger of drifting into the hands of the Firepower People, which now seems realistic. Imagine my surprise to discover that, later in the same year, on Dec. 5, … Continue reading “Gimme More Magna Carta!”

Obama Should Read WikiLeaks on Afghanistan

Perhaps President Barack Obama should give himself a waiver on the ban prohibiting U.S. government employees from downloading classified cables released by WikiLeaks, so he can get a better grasp on the futility of his Afghan War strategy. For instance, if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has hidden from him Ambassador Karl Eikenberry’s cables from … Continue reading “Obama Should Read WikiLeaks on Afghanistan”

How Afghanistan Became a War for NATO

The official line of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO command in Afghanistan, is that the war against Afghan insurgents is vital to the security of all the countries providing troops there. In fact, however, NATO was given a central role in Afghanistan because of the influence of U.S. officials concerned with the … Continue reading “How Afghanistan Became a War for NATO”

A Radical Solution for the War in Afghanistan

If actions speak louder than words, the U.S. military this week seemed to confirm the pessimistic findings of the National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) on the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which it had pooh-poohed only last week. The military assessment emphasized a rosy picture of gains in the Helmand and Kandahar provinces in Afghanistan, whereas … Continue reading “A Radical Solution for the War in Afghanistan”

Thoughts at the White House Fence

“Show me your company, and I’ll tell you who you are,” my grandmother would often say with a light Irish lilt but a heavy emphasis, an admonition about taking care in choosing what company you keep. On Thursday, I could sense her smiling down through the snow as I stood pinned to the White House … Continue reading “Thoughts at the White House Fence”

Gains in Kandahar Came with More Brutal US Tactics

The Barack Obama administration’s claim of "progress" in its war strategy is based on the military seizure of three rural districts outside Kandahar City in October. But those tactical gains have come at the price of further exacerbating the basic U.S. strategic weakness in Afghanistan – the antagonism toward the foreign presence shared throughout the … Continue reading “Gains in Kandahar Came with More Brutal US Tactics”