Turns for the Better in Afghanistan

[Valin]

Contentions:

Max Boot
12.13.2010

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the Washington Post’s well-respected foreign correspondent, had a lengthy dispatch on Sunday about Nawa, a district in Helmand Province, that has largely (but not completely) been pacified by the Marines and their Afghan partners. He concedes that Nawa, which I have visited twice (and he has visited five times), is a remarkable success story: “It is undeniable that Nawa has undergone a remarkable transformation since the Marines swept in, and it represents what is possible in Afghanistan when everything comes together correctly.” But he goes on to argue that “the changes in this district are fragile and that much of what has transpired here is unique rather than universal.”

I agree that the changes are fragile; not even the most starry-eyed optimist could possibly believe that the Taliban will be vanquished overnight. But I am less persuaded that what is transpiring in Nawa is unique. Chandrasekaran focuses on the high troop-to-population ratio, the large amount of economic aid poured in, and the competence shown both by Afghan security forces and by the district governor.

Granted, all that is true, but similarly favorable conditions exist, or are being created, in a number of other key districts being targeted by coalition forces. Sure, Nawa is doing well, but so too are Garmsir and Lashkar Gah in Helmand. Even Marjah, a notoriously difficult fight at the beginning of the year, has taken a turn for the better recently. Similar strategies are being employed with Kandahar, and although those operations aren’t as far along, they too are moving in the right direction.

(Snip)

[Rokke]

Interesting article. I haven't really heard the same horror stories regarding the Taliban that you heard about Al Qaeda in Iraq. Yeah, the Taliban are cruel and oppressive, but not quit the same out of control terrorists that AQ in Iraq was. That really helped us turn the corner in Iraq. I wonder if the same corner can be turned in Afghanistan without the added incentive of extreme terrorists.

[Valin]

Interesting article. I haven't really heard the same horror stories regarding the Taliban that you heard about Al Qaeda in Iraq. Yeah, the Taliban are cruel and oppressive, but not quit the same out of control terrorists that AQ in Iraq was. That really helped us turn the corner in Iraq. I wonder if the same corner can be turned in Afghanistan without the added incentive of extreme terrorists.

 

 

 

Short answer...there are Taliban and then there are Taliban...if you know what i mean.