Comments on: Fixing Afghanistan

By: graywolf

graywolf — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:58:09 +0000

Afghanistan has always been a mess and will always be a mess.
Iraq is twice as big, has huge oil reserves and sits in the single most geo-strategic position in the region.

To move troops from Iraq to Afghanistan is akin to the NYPD redeploying from Manhattan to Staten Island.

Besides, I've seen enough of this guy Korb on TV to realize that he's no friend of America.

By: Cernig

Cernig — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:42:16 +0000

James,

I don't know that Pakistan is a threat so much as a problem. Iran's regime is hostile to the USA in a way that Pakistan's regime -- or any plausible successor regime -- is not.

I beg to differ, and have for a quite some time. Regards, C

By: Jim Henley

Jim Henley — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:24:40 +0000

Wadhams and Korb show no imagination. If we give the Afghans the power to translate themselves bodily to other planets on a whim they will have access to the wealth of the universe entire, and can defuse intergroup tensions by spending less time with each other. Plus, who's going to sit at home growing dope when they can travel the universe? Now I'll admit there may be problems with my plan, but it's at least as feasible as the one from Wadhams and Korb.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:21:02 +0000

Somehow I doubt this will convince the loyal base that we lefties were correct all along about Iraq being a distraction and Pakistan being a bigger threat than Iran.

Not sure whether this shows that. The regional players are so interrelated that cause and effect are hard to isolate. Certainly, Iraq has been both a resource drain and created political constraints with the other players, especially Pakistan. OTOH, I'm not sure what we'd realistically have done differently. Mushy has seemed the least worst option for years now and it's not all that clear that has changed. (For a dissenting view, see Joshua Kurlantzick' piece in TNR.) I don't know that Pakistan is a threat so much as a problem. Iran's regime is hostile to the USA in a way that Pakistan's regime -- or any plausible successor regime -- is not. But Pakistan has more moving parts.

By: Blowing It In Afghanistan & Pakistan » Comments from Left Field

Blowing It In Afghanistan & Pakistan » Comments from Left Field — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:48:09 +0000

[...] UPDATE: Thinking along the same lines, James Joyner posts a must-read, “Fixing Afghanistan.” [...]

By: Cernig

Cernig — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:05:28 +0000

Hi James,

Somehow I doubt this will convince the loyal base that we lefties were correct all along about Iraq being a distraction and Pakistan being a bigger threat than Iran.

Still, maybe Steven Taylor could comment on the opium issue - is a widespread move to marijuana planting the answer? It's less cash per pound, but grows more poundage per acre for less labor and actually has a legal market (in hemp fabrics, legal use in parts of the US and in other nations etc.)

Regards, C