BACK IN KABUL - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrives back in Kabul after visiting soldiers on forward operating bases in Afghanistan, June 6, 2011. DOD photo by Cherie CullenIn Afghanistan, Failure Is A Choice. Will President Obama Choose -- William Kristol, Weekly Standard
Tuesday's Wall Street Journal features a very important piece on Afghanistan by Kim and Fred Kagan. The Kagans show how irresponsible it would be for the president to announce the withdrawal of a substantial number of troops in July, as some political advisers in the White House are advocating. They also point out how irresponsible it would be to establish a "bookend" of announcing the planned withdrawal of all the surge troops in 2012. The surge over the last year and a half has created the conditions for success in Afghanistan. The Kagans explain that if we see the fight through in the south and the east for the next two years, a real drawdown will then be possible in 2013, consistent with the NATO goal of transferring security control to the Afghans in 2014.
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COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS, AND EDITORIALS
Iran Wants the Bomb, and It’s Well on Its Way -- Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg
An opening in Bahrain? -- Washington Post editorial
The Emptying of Yemen -- Daniel Pipes, NRO
What next in this futile war... The Only Way Is Helmand? -- Sarah Oliver, The Daily Mail
Why the U.S. probably won't recognize Libya's rebel government -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy
War-powers crisis: Obama’s Libyan debacle could undercut U.S. credibility elsewhere -- John Bolton, Washington Times
When China Ruled the World: Or why the "China Century" will be the shortest on record -- Thomas P.M. Barnett, Esquire
Stand up to China today, or pay dearly tomorrow -- Peter foster, The Telegraph
Peru: A Shooting Star Turns Red -- IBD Editorial
A Quick Explanation For Why The Peruvian Election Has Investors Freaking Out -- Joe Weisenthal, Business Insider
A European Generation Takes to the Streets -- Mathieu von Rohr and Helene Zuber, Spiegel Online
Al Qaeda's Toughest Task -- Raffaello Pantucci, Foreign Policy