U.S. Marines prepare to move to a different fighting position after receiving fire during a security patrol through the Nawa district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2009. The Marines, assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, were conducting security patrols to decrease insurgent activity and gain the trust of the Afghan people. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur ShvartsbergTranscripts of Defeat (Following The Soviet Mistakes In Afghanistan) -- Victor Sebestyen, New York Times
THE highly decorated general sat opposite his commander in chief and explained the problems his army faced fighting in the hills around Kabul: “There is no piece of land in Afghanistan that has not been occupied by one of our soldiers at some time or another,” he said. “Nevertheless much of the territory stays in the hands of the terrorists. We control the provincial centers, but we cannot maintain political control over the territory we seize.
Read more ....
Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
Why the CIA Can't Be Picky About Afghan Partners -- Robert Baer, Time
We’ve got to figure out what our aims are in Afghanistan before we talk strategy. -- Andrew Bacevich, The New Republic
Troop Level in Afghanistan is the Easy Part -- Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times
Counterterrorism Begs for a Strategy -- Richard B. Myers, Washington Times
Keeping Our Allies On Our Side in Afghanistan -- Leo Michel and Robert Hunter, Los Angeles Times
Barack Obama must face down the ghost of Vietnam -- Ben Macintyre, The Times
Waziristan: the last bastion of terrorists —- Shaukat Qadir, Daily Times
Iran: Can Obama Play Hardball? -- Robert Kagan, Washington Post
Another day, another deadline in the fight to hold back Iran -- David Blair, Daily Telegraph
Israel's New Weapon: Water -- Matt Beynon Rees, Real Clear World/Global Post
Russia's Political Murders -- Washington Post editorial
Biden's Missile-Defense Missteps -- Peter Brookes, China Post
Truman and the Principles of U.S. Foreign Policy -- V.D. Hanson, WSJ