General Petraeus: collection

[Dayuhan]

Otherwise I simply refer Carl and Dayuhan to each other for a group hug. I recommend you both read Friedman's "next decade," not that it agrees with me on all points or disagrees with you all, but I think you'll find it an interesting read. I don't think he takes into account role of today's info technology to the degree he should when he makes his argument on the US being a reluctant empire and needing to act like one along the lines of Rome and Great Britain

Carl seems a nice guy but I'm not sure I want to hug him. Not really my style.

I do not at all agree with anyone who says the US is an empire, reluctant or otherwise. Unless we're radically redefining the word, it's not a supportable contention. The thought of "acting like an empire" invokes a particular shudder. No point in acting like something we're not, especially when it's something we don't want to be, something that we haven't the capacity to be, and something it's not in our interests to be.

To get back to the point, which I think is being to some degree evaded... this seems to be your prescription for Afghanistan:

Reconciliation that incorporates all Afghans equitably in the governance and opportunity of their country is best

A lovely idea, really, and I think we'd all love to see it happen. I just don't see any realistic way that we can make it happen, and I think that pursuing a goal that we haven't the capacity to achieve - something we've done all too often lately - is a very dangerous thing to do.

How is this not an American solution to an Afghan problem? How can we get to this point, short of dictating an outcome and trying to impose it? Do we even have the capacity to dictate or impose outcomes in Afghanistan? Do the various Afghan factions trust each other (or us) enough to make this possible? It sounds wonderful to us, but is this compatible with existing Afghan political culture and the various parties' perceptions of their own interests and goals?

Inquiring minds want to know...