Let’s talk about Afghanistan, since no one else will. The nation is once again in crisis. The Taliban is resurgent. Opium production is soaring. Suicide bombings are on the rise. And the US and NATO-led coalition is feeling the strain.
Last week, NATO leaders issued an urgent call for more troops to stabilize the country. Thus far only one member of the twenty-six country alliance has offered assistance. The US has more than six times as many troops in Iraq as we do in Afghanistan.
As security takes precedence, reconstruction is halting. Afghanistan’s collapse after the mujahideen repelled the invasion of the Soviet Union led to the rise of the Taliban. Another return to lawlessness and extremism would be a disaster for the country and a huge seatback for the US campaign against terrorism. We neglect Afghanistan at our own peril.
