Extend the Afghan Mission Now, Before It's Too Late

The Biden administration’s rhetoric and approach to the crisis in Afghanistan betrays two fundamental problems: gradualism, and an attempt to “define down” the problem. A crisis of this magnitude demands immediate mobilization of all resources that might be required rather than the piecemeal mobilization and deployment as the situation evolves. And it also requires remaining fixed on the original task and requirements, rather than allowing the objectives to slip to those that seem achievable within our own self-imposed constraints.