I'm not all that sure his compilations are ever
thorough and while he may be well received, I would hope that is true with some healthy skepticism applied...
Added: This is addressed to Kreker
Having said that, I think his phrase "the battle will be won" is a blatantly bad misstatement. I'm pretty well convinced there is no 'win' in a COIN operation lacking a Mongol or Roman solution; all one can do is achieve an acceptable outcome. That, to me, requires rational and achievable standards. *
Seems to me that his prescription suffers from overly simplistic assertions initially and his last two bullets you cite above are in the "not in my lifetime" category (be of good cheer, I'm 75; you may see it) -- while your items suffer from mind boggling complexity. That is not meant as an insult nor to be derogatory in any way; just by way of pointing out that your points are all desirable, highly desirable in fact but I think they are also mostly in the 'too hard box.'
I agree totally with your first item; think the second is probably unattainable lacking a couple of generations (see * above). I believe your third bullet is also in the multi-generation change arena; the fourth is indeed the big Kahuna and is likely beyond our control; the fifth is certainly desirable and may occur to an extent but as history shows, is unlikely to provide much real benefit; the sixth -- I hope you mean by the government of Afghanistan -- is going to take quite some time and the final one, I submit, should not be the concern of the US -- or the UN, indeed of anyone but the Afghans.
Long way of saying I hear both of you but I'm old, cynical -- and highly skeptical...
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