Is Our Afghanistan Strategy Working?

You might want to read Bill Roggio’s analysis at RealClearDefense of whether our Afghanistan strategy is working:

Nicholson’s briefing paints a picture of Afghanistan that does not comport with the facts on the ground. He does not seem to have a grasp on the state of the fight, and his reading of the political situation and negotiations with the Taliban is incorrect. The press, perhaps sensing that Nicholson was struggling to put the best face on Afghanistan as he prepared to relinquish his command, asked tough questions. The press conference was cut off in what appears to be a technical issue, however it appears there was no attempt to reestablish the link.

Nicholson will be turning his command over to General Austin Miller, who during his senate testimony, refused to define the Taliban as an enemy of America. It remains to be seen if Miller, like all of the generals who have preceded him, will continue to provide rosy assessments of Afghanistan as the country continues to slide into anarchy.

Bill’s piece is more a fisking of statements by Afghanistan commander Gen. John Nicholson than anything else. IMO the only sense in which our Afghanistan strategy can be said to be working is that we’re still funding it. We need to come to a sober understanding of whether three consecutive presidents have been lying about the importance of Afghanistan to our foreign policy and security. I don’t think there’s any other word for it.