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Rethink the Afghanistan surge
 By Eric T. OlsonWith great expectations on their shoulders, the first US troops of a 17,000-strong surge are headed to Afghanistan. But to do what? Even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has admitted that these soldiers are being sent without a clear strategy. Several missions have been proposed to turn back a Taliban resurgence. How will 17,000 more troops accomplish any one of them -- let alone all? The beefed-up effort has been fueled by the belief that the successful surge in Iraq can be replicated in Afghanistan. It can't. I speak from experience: For a year, I was the operational commander for all coalition forces in Afghanistan. Later, I was the deputy director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office. The conditions that favored success in Iraq are conspicuously lacking in Afghanistan. That doesn't mean success there will be impossible -- just very difficult. It will require a custom strategy that takes account of hard, local realities. Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2009-03-16 |
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