Abstract:
It was clear to me after a research trip to Afghanistan in 2003 that the situation in Iraq threatened to overshadow the measurable successes gained during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, particularly in Afghanistan. I was equally concerned that any reflexive over-expansion of a Western military presence there could lead to loss of those successes as the media and several commentators called for more Western involvement in Afghanistan reconstruction and at the same time kept comparing Afghanistan to Vietnam. This article is designed to dispel these notions and to encourage policymakers to continue on the razor-thin margin they are negotiating rather than resorting to drastic measures.