Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- March 1, 2010

MARJA MEETING - U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Stephan P. Karabin II, left, meets with British soldiers, Afghan leaders and Afghan National Policemen near Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2010. Karabin is assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Albert F. Hunt

The American Awakening In Afghanistan -- Dexter Filkin, The New Republic

I.

With the war in Afghanistan hanging in the balance, it is useful, if a little sad, to recall just how complete the American-led victory was in the autumn of 2001. By December, the Taliban had vanished from Kabul, Kandahar, and much of the countryside. Afghans celebrated by flinging their turbans and dancing in the streets. They dug up TV sets, wrapped in plastic, from hiding places in their gardens. In Mullah Omar’s hometown of Sangesar, the locals broke into his madrassa and tore out the door frames for firewood. Among ordinary Afghans, there was a genuine sense of deliverance. The world, which had abandoned them more than a decade before, was coming back.

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COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS, AND EDITORIALS

Getting close to the Afghans -- Mark Moyar, Washington Times

In Pakistan we are fighting for our lives -- Asif Ali Zardari (President Of Pakistan, The Guardian

March elections are another step toward normality in Iraq -- Ad Melkert, Washington Post

Iran's New World Order -- Jamsheed K. Choksy, Wall Street Journal

Winners and Losers in Iraq's Upcoming Election -- Thomas P.M. Barnett, World Politics Review

EU and Terrorist Finance Tracking Program -- Washington Post editorial

Bashing Turkey's Army -- Asli Aydintasbas, New York Times

Military on Trial in Turkey -- Los Angeles Times editorial

Report details violence and lost freedoms in Venezuela -- Washington Post editorial

Greeks bash a gift horse in the mouth -- Matt Gurney, National Post

America, the Fragile Empire -- Niall Ferguson, Los Angeles Times

The U.S. is at a crucial point in defining its direction -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

The Return of Agrarian Society? -- Francis Cianfrocca, New Ledger