The Trump administration is now debating whether or not to increase the force level in Afghanistan in an effort to win the longest war in American history. The American policy in Afghanistan has been Kabuled together rather than well thought out and comprehensive. The initial decision by President George W. Bush to send in small numbers of Special Forces to take out the Taliban who had provided training camps for the 9/11 attackers was proportionate to the need. Special Forces and B-52s flying from Diego Garcia drove the Taliban out of Kabul and turned the administration of the government of Afghanistan, such as it was, over to the Northern Alliance. Under President Bush Afghanistan was always a sideshow, but upon acquiring office, President Obama surged to 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, calling it the necessary war, which it was not, Afghanistan posing no national security threat or opportunities, and closing down a hard won war in Iraq in which we had attained a strong foothold in the Middle East next to Syria and Iran. The abandonment of the advanced base in Iraq, accompanied by a series of foreign policy debacles by the Obama administration, including the tilt toward Iran, has led to the collapse of the Middle East and the forfeiture of American interests in the region, whether due to incompetence or design. The war in Afghanistan cannot be won in Stone Age Afghanistan, it can only be won in nuclear power Pakistan, which means it will not be won at all, and it is time to cut the cord.

Beware of war in Hindu Kush
So said the Brits, and so said Bush
A Stone Age land is not subdued
By modern arms so don’t intrude
The Brits and Russkies tried and failed
And now it’s time that we too bailed
Our guys are getting killed for naught
By green on blue and thirty aught
To Muslims we are not a friend
There’s not to gain, now let it end