An Afghanistan Strategy Debate

Belmont Club has an extensive and informative update on strategic arguments being played out over Afghanistan. There is discord with America on two levels. For one, and as I posted on here, NATO is not succeeding in adequately manning and conducting operations in Afghanistan. But the issue goes beyond that. Our allies apparently believe that we should attempt to negotiate a peace with the Taliban and bring them into the government.

Do read the entire post. My own thought is that there is no basis upon which a peace can be negotiated with the Taliban. Musharref has tried it in Pakistan and the Brits have tried it in Afghanistan, both with utterly disastrous results. The Taliban now threatens the government of Pakistan as well as Afghanistan. Further, the Taliban could never be trusted to break its natural alliance with al Qaeda. Destroying the Taliban in their current safe havens seems the only viable option.

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Interesting News From Around the Web

The NYT is reporting a shift in strategy in Iraq to transfer more of the security burden to Iraqi forces. With the decline in violence, some troops will redeploy from Iraq while the remaining troops will play more of a role in training Iraqi forces. That said, it is being done with much attention being paid to not losing anything that we have already gained in terms of declining violence. I believe someone long ago described this strategy – as they stand up, we’ll stand down. Who was it that said that?

The Michigan attorney general weighs in on the Second Amendment as an important individual right. Moreover, “experience demonstrates that the broad ban on gun ownership in the District of Columbia has led to precisely the opposite effect from what was intended.”


A Thanksgiving note of caution from Michael Yon in Iraq: "I had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with General Petraeus. . . . Bottom line is that progress is clear and real, but there are tough days ahead and al Qaeda, for instance, is far from dead. The mood is of cautious optimism, with a concern that some of the very positive media lately might set expectations too high. (That’s right: many military leaders are concerned that the media lately might be too positive.)"


The party of the fat cats, those damned Rep . . . er . . . Democrats?

Refusing to answer tough questions, refusing press access, using leaks to control the flow of information, . . . one hint, its not President Bush.

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