Winning the War in Afghanistan

[Dayuhan]

Agree with the jist of your comment, but what exactly will we have to do all over again?

First, we're not leaving, we're downsizing/rightsizing, but I guess you could make the same argument that we said that about Vietnam also.

That was a response to Bob's World's option #2:

We simply recognize that we really have few interests in the region, and even fewer risks of any real threat from the region, and pack up and leave an let a self-determined naturally selected process take its course.

I meant to suggest that if we follow that course there's a good chance we'll find ourselves responding to a similar provocation in the future.

I see downsizing/rightsizing as a prelude to leaving: the basic problem of propping up a government that can neither govern nor stand on its own doesn't seem likely to change with downsizing.

I still don't think we'll have to occupy the nation again, we may very well have to conduct large scale raids to wipe out terrorist nests if they're stupid enough to consolidate forces. That is a lot cheaper and more effective than trying to change a society, an activity that seems to be generating as much resentment towards us as good will.

That's about what I meant by "doing it smarter".