Public diplomacy, strategic communication, or information operations — whichever label you want to give it — is suffering from a lack of professionalism. You cannot merely fill the communication vacuum with leaflets, advertisements and dollars.

However, a well-trained military that can protect itself is not enough to deem Afghanistan a success. Political stability is more important and a well-trained military becomes inconsequential if there is no solid political framework behind it.
Training an effective military without fixing the political problems of corruption and ineffectiveness prior to leaving the region would be a mistake on the part of the United States.

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