U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Hipkins gives orders to his men after coming under enemy fire in Lakari Bazaar, Afghanistan, July 19, 2009. Hipkins is a squad leader assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment's 1st Platoon, 2nd Battalion. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. James A. BurksWhy The Taliban Are Winning -- for Now -- Kimberly Kagen, Foreign Policy
The last few years have been a strategic fiasco, but this war is still winnable. Here's how.
The war in Afghanistan has not been going well, and it is no surprise that Americans are frustrated. Many observers can rightly point to signs of progress: the functionality of specific Afghan government ministries and programs, the slow growth of the Afghan National Army, the building of major infrastructure such as roads and dams, and agricultural improvements. These accomplishments, however, have not created the conditions that the United States has aimed to achieve: an Afghan state with a competent government considered legitimate by its people and capable of defending them, such that Afghanistan can no longer function as a safe haven for Islamist terrorist groups.
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COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS, AND EDITORIALS
The Human Face of Burma Tragedy -- Gordon Brown, Der Spiegel
Suu Kyi's Nightmare Continues -- Irene Khan, The Guardian
Goergia, One Year Later -- Melik Kaylan, Forbes
ETA's Retro-terrorism in Spain -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy
U.S.'s Incoherent Iran Policy -- Tom Fenton, Global Post
Guessing Game over Mehsud's Death -- Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times
One Big Lesson Russia Hasn't Learned -- Alexander Golts, Moscow Times
U.S. Drug War Ravages Mexico -- Diane Francis, National Post
Tokyo Tries to Loosen U.S. Leash -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian
Japan's Schizophrenia Toward Nukes -- Todd Crowell, RealClearWorld
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