If you want to know what is happening in Afghanistan, read Mark Perry’s article in Politico. I know it’s hard to believe but the war in Afghanistan began 15 years ago today. The Taliban was ousted within weeks of the invasion but was allowed to regroup after we “took our eyes off the ball” and invaded Iraq. Perry, along with retired CIA operatives and academics, argues that the war will not be won on the battlefield. Instead, we’re carrying out “diplomacy by drone strike” and targeting Taliban leaders who refuse to negotiate with Kabul. “We’re signaling the Taliban that they need to choose a leadership that is interested in a political solution,” the officer says, “because, obviously, this conflict isn’t going to be decided on the battlefield.”
I’ve noted this before but the war has received little to no attention on the campaign trail which is a disgrace because the next commander-in-chief will have some serious decisions to make. Ending this war “would require a commander in chief willing to pay attention to America’s longest war and a Congress willing to spend a bit of money on foreign aid, and so far I see no candidate for public office at any level of either party with the competence, leadership and knowledge required for such a minimally successful foreign policy.”