Beginning of the End
NYT editorial
Like most Americans, we are eager to see an end to the war in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement that American forces would step back from a combat role as early as mid-2013 was welcome.
The Pentagon’s intention is to try to shift more responsibility to the Afghan security forces while the Americans are still in the country to provide help with planning, transport and intelligence, and to bail the Afghans out in a crisis. That shift is already happening in less volatile regions. And with the United States and NATO committed to bringing nearly all of their troops home by the end of 2014, the Afghans need to learn to take the lead.
If there is any chance of pulling this off, the United States must improve the quality of the Afghan army and police and strengthen central and local governments. We have yet to see a comprehensive plan for an orderly transition.
More than 1,700 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan over the last decade, and the financial cost for this country, more than $450 billion, is staggering. It did not have to be this way. In order to pursue his misguided war in Iraq, President George W. Bush denied his commanders in Afghanistan the necessary troops and support.
(More here.)
Like most Americans, we are eager to see an end to the war in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement that American forces would step back from a combat role as early as mid-2013 was welcome.
The Pentagon’s intention is to try to shift more responsibility to the Afghan security forces while the Americans are still in the country to provide help with planning, transport and intelligence, and to bail the Afghans out in a crisis. That shift is already happening in less volatile regions. And with the United States and NATO committed to bringing nearly all of their troops home by the end of 2014, the Afghans need to learn to take the lead.
If there is any chance of pulling this off, the United States must improve the quality of the Afghan army and police and strengthen central and local governments. We have yet to see a comprehensive plan for an orderly transition.
More than 1,700 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan over the last decade, and the financial cost for this country, more than $450 billion, is staggering. It did not have to be this way. In order to pursue his misguided war in Iraq, President George W. Bush denied his commanders in Afghanistan the necessary troops and support.
(More here.)
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