Afghanisan & the Logic of Escalation

I think Alex Massie has it right:

...I guess one ought to have an official "What I Think About Obama’s Escalation in Afghanistan post". And the truth is that I don't know. Don't know whether Obama's new strategy will work, don't know if it is wise or enough or too much or just about right. And I'm intensely suspicious of anyone who celebrates it and, most especially, those who immediately claim that it's insufficient, reckless, half-hearted or whatever. Because (almost) none of us have a clue, really, and pretending that we do does no-one any good.

What may be said, with all due caution, is that the administration is doing its best to make the best of a bad situation. It seems quite possible to me, even probable, that there is no solution to the matrix of problems we face in Afghanistan. If there were someone might have found it by now.

Well said. My biggest concern is that the logic of denying the Taliban and al Qaeda a propaganda win only increases after the president's commitment ofmore troops. If we discover that a population centric counter-insurgency with 100,000-plus allied troops does not do the trick, it will be that much harder to switch tactics and pursue an off-shore counter-terrorism approach. The logic of saving face after putting more of our blood and treasure on the line will only shift further in the direction of further escalation if sufficient progress can't be shown after 18 months.

(AP Photos)