As I recall, Genghis came to Afghanistan, he stole everything of value, he killed every male taller than a wagon wheel, and he destroyed the canals that allowed a society to flourish in the desert. Then a few decades later his successor came back to Afghanistan and did the same thing all over again. Set the whole place back several hundred years in the process.

Effective, but not what we're all about.

This article was written by a guy who thinks that (my assessment) insurgents cause insurgency, and that once we defeat the insurgents we win. That isn't how insurgency works.

Our problems are not in the green zones along the waterways of rural Afghanistan, other than that we go there in pursuit of insurgents. Our problems are in "the green zone" in Kabul where Karzai and gang live and "govern" in protected isolation, running their little Ponzi scheme under the protection of ISAF. We are patsies, plain and simple.

The key to AQ sanctuary in the region lies with the Taliban and always has. Cut a deal with those guys and AQ will have to find a new home to operate out of. That won't solve the AQ problem, but it will solve the AF/PAK problem. One step at at time...