The Afghanistan Paradox

Via the New York Daily News, Michael Yon writes:

Can the war in Afghanistan be won? It depends on whom you ask.

The senior British commander in Afghanistan recently was quoted in The Times of London, “This war cannot be won.” A French diplomatic dispatch reports that the British ambassador said the best solution would be to find an “acceptable dictator” to take over the troubled country.

But the British soldiers with whom I was recently embedded in Helmand Province had very high morale and felt optimistic about Afghanistan. And British and American officers whose judgment and honesty I trust share that optimism, even acknowledging the difficult challenges they face, andthat this will take a decade (according to Brits) or decades (according to Americans).

Do these soldiers know something their leaders don’t? Or is it just another Afghan paradox?

This is a land of paradox. The people here are friendly and hospitable, violent and suspicious. The war effort enjoys broad support, yet our alliance is unraveling. The Taliban are widely despised, and yet certain elements of it are integral parts of Afghan society. People want the national government to succeed, yet they have little or no faith in it. In many respects, while the country takes center stage in today’s geopolitics, it is stuck in the Middle Ages.

Read the rest.  It’s worthwhile.