Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- February 28, 2012

U.S. Army Pvt. Anthony McCarthy keeps watch outside an Afghan local police checkpoint in Marzak village in Afghanistan's Paktika province, Feb. 26, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Charles Crail

West's Afghan Hopes Collide With Reality -- Michael Hart, National Interest

THE WEST’S military engagement in Afghanistan is entering its eleventh year and has another two years to go before the end of combat operations in 2014. Whatever the result of the international conferences that began last year in Istanbul and Bonn to elicit support for a successor state, one thing is clear: after Western forces draw down, Afghanistan won’t bear much resemblance to the Western vision that fueled the intervention in the first place. However effective Western military organizations are in transitioning to Afghan control, the country’s future will not be decided primarily by the residual structures and legacies of Western involvement, the current Taliban insurgency or even any formal process of reconciliation. Rather, it will be decided more by the country’s ethnic character, the particular nature of local and national governance, and the influence of neighboring powers with enduring geopolitical and strategic imperatives in the region far stronger than those of the West.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Negotiations with the Taliban find some momentum -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Cultural Cluelessness Threatens U.S. Commando Strategy -- David Axe, Danger Room
If Afghans Want to Reject the U.S. and Embrace Theocracy, That's Their Right -- Max Fisher, The Atlantic
As the west plans its pullout from Afghanistan, many desperate Afghans are also looking for an exit -- Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian
Violence suggests 'Afghans hate us, and we don't trust them' -- McClatchy News
“Tipping Point?” -- Mark Thompson, Time
Afghanistan's true outrage -- Hamida Ghafour, Globe and Mail
Apologies in Afghanistan -- Amy Davidson, New Yorker
Afghanistan: The Friendship That Went Up in Flames -- Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau, Newsweek
No Easy Exit From Afghanistan -- International Herald Tribune
Understanding the rage in Afghanistan -- James Carroll, Philly.com
Afghanistan on edge -- L.A. Times editorial

The perils of reporting in Syria -- L.A. Times editorial
Arm Syria’s Rebels -- Roger Cohen, New York Times
Can Syria’s Assad Fight His Way to Political Survival? -- Tony Karon, Time
The dilemma for Syria's neighbours -- Alia Brahimi and George Joffe, Al Jazeera

Will Saleh’s exit save Yemen from chaos? -- Washington Post editorial

Profile: Yemen's new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi -- Christian Science Monitor

Washington and Cairo: America's Bitter Awakening -- Zvi Mazel, Jerusalem Post

Obama Ignored Iran Opposition's Advice -- Michael Ledeen, PJ Media

Why U.S., China Destined to Clash -- Minxin Pei, The Diplomat

China-Taiwan Tensions Could Loom Over U.S. 'Pivot' to Asia -- Bloomberg

Elites Loot Africa While Foreign Debt Mounts -- James Boyce & Leonce Ndikumana, Real Clear World

How the Catholic Church is Preparing for a Post-Castro Cuba -- Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs