An Afghan flag flutters next to a U.S. flag as a U.S Chinook helicopter flies over Panjshir province on July 24, 2011. Ahmad Masood / Reuters
Barry Posen, The Atlantic: It's Time to Make Afghanistan Someone Else's Problem
A full withdrawal will force Iran, Russia, and others, to step up.
The Trump administration, as well as its critics, are reportedly wrestling with the question of a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, where the government has shown no signs of being able to turn the tide in the 16-year war against the Taliban. General John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, with support from Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, has asked for more troops, apparently in service of a strategy that, for the moment, seeks simply to “not lose.” President Trump has granted this request in principle, but these reinforcements have not yet been dispatched, because the president's advisors seem to believe that he is not committed to stay the course. Instead, a strategic review is underway. Meanwhile, Senator John McCain has offered his own strategy for Afghanistan, which appears to be the “old” strategy, with the admixture of a commitment to stay forever and provide the commanders with a blank check for forces and money to do so.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 20, 2017
U.S.-China relations, 6 months into the Trump presidency: Still in search of a strategy -- Jeffrey A. Bader, David Dollar, and Ryan Hass, Brookings
Trump’s Negotiation from Strength -- Patrick M. Cronin, RCD
Planning for Korean Reunification -- Lee Jong-Wha, Project Syndicate
The real revolution in NKorea is rise of consumer culture -- Eric Talmadge, AP
South China Sea: Beijing Raises the Temperature Again -- Euan Graham, Lowy Institute
Balochistan: Spiral into chaos -- Muhammad Akbar Notezai, Dawn
“Neutral” Somalia finds itself engulfed in Saudi Arabia-Qatar dispute -- Muhyadin Ahmed Roble, African Arguments
Q&A: What’s Next for Kenya After Presidential Elections? -- US Institute of Peace
Angola on cusp of change after 40-year journey from Marxism to crony capitalism -- Jason Burke, The Guardian
Stop Poking the Russian Bear -- Robert W. Merry, National Interest
Bosnia's Sordid Independence -- Alexander Clapp, National Interest
Bolivia's Morales Goes Down an Ugly Road -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg
What to Do With Venezuela? -- J. Weston Phippen, The Atlantic
Socialism – not oil prices – is to blame for Venezuela’s woes -- Kristian Niemietz, CapX
The Real Lesson of the Barcelona Attacks -- Daniel McCarthy, National Interest
Terror in Spain Shows Islamic State Is Down Not Out -- Tobin Harshaw, Bloomberg
The World May Soon Split in Two Trading Blocs—Here’s How to Position Your Portfolio -- Patrick Watson, Maulden Economics
America Can't Afford to Lose the Artificial Intelligence War -- Michael O'Hanlon & Robert Karlen, National Interest
The Meaning of the Eclipse -- Bloomberg editorial
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