| Having achieved the primary objective of the | | | | and utilises fear to sustain support. Without a |
| invasion, the elimination of Al-Qaeda, why is the | | | | radical shift in policy winning the war and winning |
| conflict intensifying? The war against the | | | | the peace will both remain unattainable goals. The |
| resurgent Taliban - once supported by the US - is | | | | US and its allies need to accept two basic tenets, |
| based on the assumption that if they are allowed | | | | the Taliban will not be defeated militarily and |
| to return to power Al-Qaeda will follow in their | | | | democracy in Afghanistan, if it can be delivered at |
| wake and the threat of international terrorism will | | | | all, will not be sustainable. |
| escalate. In the current climate it is difficult to | | | | Counter-insurgency campaigns are always |
| argue against this hypothesis but is the scenario | | | | protracted and rarely, of themselves, bring about |
| inevitable? | | | | lasting solutions. The war in Afghanistan has the |
| The Taliban were initially welcomed as rulers of | | | | added dimension of jihadism, foreign fighters |
| Afghanistan following the Soviet withdrawal and | | | | supporting the Taliban to rid an Islamic country |
| years of civil war but their strict Islamist doctrine | | | | from invaders. A peaceful solution can only be |
| soon led to a backlash. Having experienced the | | | | attained by utilising the existing tribal system, not |
| ruthlessness of a Taliban government it is highly | | | | by seeking to impose an alien concept. Although |
| likely that the majority of Afghans would strongly | | | | there are serious questions about the legitimacy |
| resist their return. | | | | of President Karzai's election and concerns about |
| The idea that Afghanistan could, in future, be yet | | | | his weak, corrupt government his declared intent |
| again a breeding ground for international terrorism | | | | to seek a dialogue with Taliban leaders through a |
| is highly questionable. Why would they return? | | | | 'loya jirga', a grand assembly of tribal leaders, is |
| Al-Qaeda has proved that it can operate from | | | | the right way forward. |
| almost any country in the world, displacement | | | | Lessons need to be learned from Iraq - and from |
| from Afghanistan has simply encouraged them to | | | | Vietnam. To some extent the invasion of Iraq has |
| set up training camps elsewhere. | | | | been tarnished by the fiasco over weapons of |
| The coalition's strategy, to defeat the Taliban and | | | | mass destruction but military action in Afghanistan |
| to install a democratic government in Kabul, | | | | has, thus far, retained credibility and international |
| seems over-simplistic ignoring several fundamental | | | | support. The US needs to accept that democracy |
| issues not least cultural differences. Western | | | | is not a universal panacea that can be liberally |
| democracies have taken decades if not centuries | | | | exported around the globe. What works in Kansas |
| to evolve yet the expectation is this can be | | | | doesn't necessarily work in Kabul. It needs to |
| achieved in Afghanistan virtually overnight. Why | | | | curtail its arrogance and exercise some humility. |
| would a fragile democracy bring peace and | | | | Instead of continually telling occupied countries |
| stability to a mountainous, tribal country that has | | | | what they should be doing it's time to start asking |
| been at the crossroads of empirical and internal | | | | them how things should be done, to respect other |
| strife for two hundred years? | | | | religions and other cultures. This is a far better |
| The campaign is confusing, it lacks vision, it lacks a | | | | way of ensuring sustainability. |
| sense of realism. It takes legitimacy from 9/11 | | | | |