National Security Team Delivers Grim Appraisal of Afghanistan War

[chill_wind]

National Security Team Delivers Grim Appraisal of Afghanistan War

By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, February 9, 2009; Page A13

MUNICH, Feb. 8 -- President Obama's national security team gave a dire assessment Sunday of the war in Afghanistan, with one official calling it a challenge "much tougher than Iraq" and others hinting that it could take years to turn around.

U.S. officials said more troops were urgently needed, both from America and its NATO allies, to counter the increasing strength of the Taliban and warlords opposed to the central government in Kabul. They also said new approaches were needed to untangle an inefficient and conflicting array of civilian-aid programs that have wasted billions of dollars.

"NATO's future is on the line here," Richard C. Holbrooke, the State Department's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told attendees at an international security conference here. "It's going to be a long, difficult struggle. . . . In my view, it's going to be much tougher than Iraq."

the rest:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/08/AR2009020800695.html?hpid=topnews

It's a week old article, but it seems rather current in its relevance.

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. Gee - they need a Security Team to figure this out?

.
.
.

FIGHTING A GROUND WAR FROM THE AIR DON'T WORK!

didn't work in Vietnam, ain't working in Iraq

heck

The USA don't need to be in these places anyways

The USA has enough problems at home

Take care of your poor and homeless

Invade the world later . .

[chill_wind]

2. No disagreement. As ever, it's the chickenhawks we have to convince.

eom

[bemildred]

3. So NATO has got itself into a guerrilla war in Afghanistan.

And now they notice that "NATOs future is on the line here!" You have to wonder if they take drugs to get this stupid. All they had to do was nothing, and the problem would not exist.

[acmavm]

4. Much tougher than Iraq? I imagine so. Ask the British and the Russians.