Defending Our Afghanistan Policy - Max Boot

From the left and the right, this morning’s newspapers bring fundamental challenges to our Afghanistan policy. -- In the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof argues that the U.S. war effort is simply too costly. He suggests withdrawing troops and instead building schools.

Over in the Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, Jack Devine, a former CIA officer who was involved in efforts to help the mujahideen in the 1980s, also argues for withdrawing U.S. soldiers. His preferred alternative is relying on his former employer, the CIA, to mobilize Afghan proxies on our behalf. He admits that after a troop withdrawal, which he envisions happening in 2012, “Afghanistan will likely enter a period of heightened instability,” including the possible collapse of the government, so he advises “we should figure out now which tribal leaders — and, under specially negotiated arrangements, which Taliban factions — we could establish productive relationships with.” ...... - Commentary » Blog Archive » Defending Our Afghanistan Policy

Op-Ed Columnist - 1 Soldier or 20 Schools in Afghanistan ...- NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
The CIA Solution for Afghanistan‎ - Wall Street Journal

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