Counter Insurgency

We can't afford to build a nation in Afghanistan. We have one reasonable goal there, and everything else, no matter how seemingly noble it may or may not be, is a luxury.

When you massively intervene in a country as much as the U.S. has in Afghanistan, you can't responsibly just walk away. We must lead with what works -- development.

Despite grim new portraits of U.S. fortunes in Afghanistan, Washington's debate over troop levels continues unhinged from reality.

The problems that McChrystal identified with the present approach are daunting: a corrupt and illegitimate government, insurgents' use of safe havens in Pakistan, and pervasive fear and mistrust of the international forces.

As we enter the last month of the Bush presidency, progressives around the country are increasing in giddiness. Given the president's legion mistakes ...

The United States has not undertaken a serious defense policy review since the Cold War. We have not paused to ask the most basic question, which is what precisely our military is for in this day and age.

If Michael Gordon's New York Times report is indicative, the window for a real debate leading to alternatives to an extended military event in Afghanistan (and Pakistan) is only open a crack.