Resource Type:

Report-Paper

Posted On: Sep 28, 2009

Posted By: Enough Communication

URL:

http://bit.ly/25F8lh

Description:

This op-ed originally appeared on Huffington Post on September 28, 2009.

By Colin Thomas-Jensen

How do you defeat a dangerous insurgent group that has embedded itself within a civilian population? This vexing question is at the center of the ongoing debate over the counterinsurgency approach in Afghanistan--a conversation that plays itself out at the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department, on Capital Hill, and through a seemingly endless herd of pundits on cable news shows, op-ed pages, and in the blogosphere. And there is a good reason for such a considered and public discussion. Beyond the direct involvement of U.S. forces, success in Afghanistan, however that is ultimately defined, has clear implications for international peace and security. Failure, says the cliché, is not an option.