The Special Relationship Is Very Special

WASHINGTON — The 300th British soldier was killed in Afghanistan last week, which means that, proportionately, Great Britain is paying a higher price in manpower and money out there. That's 300 dead in a 10,000-troop commitment compared with the United States' 1,126 deaths with a commitment of more than 94,000 troops right now. The debate in London — "Why are we in Afghanistan?" — seems more heated over there, but the essentials of the arguments are about the same. The new British prime minister, David Cameron, marked the death of the Royal Marine in a place called Sangin by saying:……

Let Us Now Praise Famous Conspiracy Theories

WASHINGTON — Last Saturday morning, Mike Allen's Politico Playbook, the early-morning blog Washington whisperers wake up to, began this way: "IF YOU READ ONLY ONE STORY — N.Y. Times 2-col. lead, 'Karzai Is Said to Doubt West Can Defeat Taliban,' by Dexter Filkins, in Kabul: President Hamid Karzai 'has been pressing to strike his own deal with the Taliban and the country's archrival, Pakistan … Mr. Karzai's maneuverings involve secret negotiations with the Taliban outside the purview of American and NATO officials. … People close to the president say he began to lose confidence in the Americans last summer. …'"……

Pentagon Papers II

Senior Fellow Richard Reeves published an OpEd article for Yahoo! about the current state of Afghanistan's government and the foreseeable issues of the future…….

An Audience Of One

Most of what you read, see and hear about Afghanistan is not meant for you. The words, optimistic and pessimistic, right and wrong, all the leaks, all the numbers of troop estimates, costs and polls are aimed at an audience of one: the president. It is very hard to get to chat with any president. But any president has to know what is in the big three of American newspapers (or their Web sites): The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal. And those papers right now are filled with shouting and whispering to President Obama. The……

Galbraith recommends no troop surge in Afghanistan at Day Two of Global Communication Leadership Forum

Former U.N. Deputy Special Representative to Afghanistan Peter Galbraith criticized the U.S. government's handling of the war in Afghanistan and said because of the country's recent presidential election, he does not recommend sending more troops. "The core issue is that Obama's strategy relies on having a reliable partner," he said. "A president who is not believed to be legitimate is not a reliable partner. We have to remember that troops are a valuable resource, and if the resource cannot be effectively used, it shouldn't be used. As you can see, I'm not wildly optimistic."……

Day One of CCLP Forum: Press and policymakers need to probe more deeply on rationale for war in Afghanistan

Policymakers and analysts are calling on the press to dig much deeper into the strife that engulfs Afghanistan, and to provide better analysis on the policy options now before President Obama as he weighs whether to send thousands more American troops. Former Ambassador Morton Abramowitz, who previously headed the State Department's intelligence unit, accused the press of "hit-and-run" coverage that has substituted for serious consideration of policy in Afghanistan. His observations, along with presentations and dialogue among top journalists, scholars and government officials, were presented at the inaugural Global Communication Leadership Forum , held November 6-7 in Los Angeles…….