LA Times – Michael Cohen Co-Authors an Op-Ed on the Afghanistan Troop Drawdown
Source: Los Angeles Times, 6/14
ASP Senior Fellow Michel Cohen co-authors an op-ed.
“…As President Obama‘s July deadline to begin drawing down troops from Afghanistan approaches, the debate in Washington is focused almost exclusively on how rapidly the U.S. military presence should be reduced. But the emphasis on troop levels ignores the more important question of what the administration’s political strategy should be for ending the war.
There is no question that the U.S. must leave Afghanistan eventually. But withdrawal must be done in a way that prevents chaos and ensures that America’s interests in the region are protected. Current U.S. military tactics, however, are often operating at cross-purposes to the establishment of an effective political strategy for ending the war — a political strategy that to date has been poorly constructed.
Supporters of the current approach argue that the military campaign is putting increased pressure on the Taliban, and that with just a little more force, we can push insurgents to the negotiating table. But this is a dubious assumption, and the U.S. does not have the luxury to see if it’s correct…”
