Sunday, March 11, 2018

Commentary on Afghanistan




General Nicholson - In Too Deep? Wesley Morgan, a defense journalist, examines the RS Cdr's track record over the past two years and wonders if the commander is 'sugar coating' how well the Afghan security forces are doing. Read "Is the top general in Afghanistan in too deep?", Politico, March 5, 2018. See also (posted in last weeks newsletter) "General John Nicholson - Two Years as RS Commander", SOF News, March 2, 2018.

Catch 22. One writer's perspective on Afghanistan sees the global war on terror which began in 2001 heading nowhere. "Afghanistan's Catch-22", Indian Defence Review, March 2, 2018.
"For Afghanistan, there is nothing different about the year that has just begun except that there is more violence, increasing political fragmentation, a slowing economy, and rising discontent amongst the domestic population".
Protracted Stalemate. Ali Wyne, a policy analyst at RAND Corporation, provides his perspective on the current security situation in Afghanistan. He believes that the ANDSF won't be 'turning the corner' any time soon and the Afghan government will only stay in power so long as the U.S. and its allies remain in Afghanistan. (The RAND Blog, Feb 26, 2018).

More Dialogue Needed. Adam Weinstein writes that "An end to the war in Afghanistan lies in dialogue and if Washington doesn't adapt it will soon get left behind". Weinstein is a veteran of the Afghan conflict, a former Marine, writer on national security issues. See his article in "Dialogue With Taliban the Only Way Out of Afghanistan"The American Conservative, March 5, 2018.


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