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Foreign Forces Must Stay in Afghanistan!

F. Kagan, K. Kagan & J. Dubik, Washington Post | September 14, 2009

It is too early for US troops to leave Afghanistan. ++ Withdrawal now would make Afghanistan again a safe haven for terrorists. ++ Relying only on the growth of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is not enough to deal with the country's current security situation. ++ ANSF will need a few more years of international assistance in order to maintain security. ++ "Building Afghan forces dramatically is part of a strategy for succeeding in Afghanistan and permitting the reduction of foreign forces but cannot be the whole strategy."

 

 
 
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Patrick Edwin Moran

Thu, Sep 17th 2009, 10:28

Patrick Edwin Moran, Wake Forest University, Platinum Contributor (207)

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After frittering away the opportunity to steer events in Afghanistan while the Taliban forces were scattered and the situation was generally fluid, and after failing to direct any substantial assets to this area of conflict and potential for greater conflict, the U.S. and its allies now receive strong opposition when they try to regain some initiative there. As the Washington Post article indicates, costs for repairing these deficiencies will be high, and costs for leaving "without paying for broken pottery" would be even higher. Sadly, those who made irresponsible policy decisions will not be held responsible. Lives have been lost as a result of past strategic blunders, and more losses will follow. But the lesson should be not to make the same mistake again. Further temporizing will only worsen the final reckoning.
 

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