U.S. Army Sgt. Kevin Mikionis launches a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle for surveillance near a bridge project along the Euphrates River north of Al Taqqadum, Al Anbar province, Iraq, Oct. 5, 2009. Mikionis is an infantry team leader assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team His unit is providing security backup to Iraqi police, who have primary responsibility for securing the salvage site to enable Iraqi contractors to finish a new highway bridge that officials believe will stimulate the area’s economy. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeodA Recipe for Somalia -- Richard Bennet
A light footprint won’t work in Afghanistan. Just look at the Horn of Africa for all the reasons why not.
As the Afghanistan strategy review dominates conversations in Washington, President Barack Obama's advisors appear split over whether to fully resource a counterinsurgency or scale back the effort to a more limited, counterterrorism approach. Vice President Joe Biden and others, fearing an open-ended engagement, have argued that a light footprint that features Predator drones and special operations forces would be the best way to counter al Qaeda and other Islamist groups.
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COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS, AND EDITORIALS
How We Can Win in Afghanistan -- Max Boot, Commentary Magazine
Hezbollah Isn't a Model for Afghanistan -- Michael J. Totten, Commentary magazine
The Taliban Threat -- Washington Post Editorial
Pakistan's Partial War on Terror -- Christine Fair, Wall Street Journal
Whisper it… Iran may have passed the peak of its power -- Emile Hokayem, The National
Can Iran Afford a Nuclear U-turn? -- Meir Javedanfar, The Guardian
China's Hard Choices on Iran -- Jon Alterman, World Politics Review
The Limits of Obama's Global Star Power -- Michael Gerson, Washington Post
The Incurable Vietnam Syndrome: Distorting our foreign policy for three decades and counting -- Max Boot, Weekly Standard