Lowering expectations for Afghanistan

My comment sums up my thoughts on Afghanistan.

Lowering expectations for Afghanistan | Lexington's notebook | Economist.com: "

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The Russians in Afghanistan used massive amounts of conventional explosives to burn all the oxygen in populated areas - this is one example of tactics used by Russia to try to tame Afghanistan. Futile tactics.

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The United States and coalition partners cannot use these methods now. Plainly put, the Afghanistan fighters could teach the Viet Cong a thing or two about asymmetric warfare. The coalition partners do not stand a chance. Perhaps an isolated airstrip and surrounding no-mans-land can be maintained for responding to the upcoming crisis in Pakistan. Anything more, and the coalition just makes the Muslim violent extremists more attractive to the rural population. The political battle is lost - Karzai is less politically relevant than the former South Vietnamese government.

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Really sad. This cartoon sums up the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan:

http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/10/no-hoax/

Every conversation about Afghanistan should begin and end with an assessment of the potential for crisis in Pakistan. The political battle for Afghanistan was lost a long time ago - don't throw more good soldiers' lives away.