Afghan Commentary Post

Published on HuffingtonPost Two world figures recently weighed in on the never-ending war in Afghanistan with opposing positions: U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced a troop surge, while United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for a political solution. Neither seems to think the other’s approach will work. The answer may lie somewhere between the two. I don’t see this war ending until someone forces Pakistan to stop harboring terrorist groups that keep Afghanistan destabilized. It’s possible that can be achieved with both the carrot and the stick – a combination of diplomacy and military strength – but nobody in power seems to be seriously addressing the real problem. In an unannounced visit to Kabul, UN Secretary-General Guterres said, “The international community, the neighboring countries … related to the Afghan crisis need to come together to understand that this is a war that has no military solution, that we need to hav...

    By Wahab Raofi Summary: As foreign-backed domestic insurgents and Arab jihadis like Daesh and its affiliates tighten their grip on Afghanistan’s elected government, the troubled country finds itself once again erched on the edge of a perilous cliff. The solution is to declare Afghanistan a neutral zone.   History’s deadliest-ever terror attack in Kabul served as a bloody scream that this crisis has reached a tipping point. On May 31, more than 150 died, over 400 were injured, and Afghanistan’s only hope now appears to be a radically different approach: declare the country a Belgium-style neutral zone.       World leaders and NATO allies at the Warsaw Summit can pledge their “long-term commitment to Afghanistan through the enduring partnership,” but it won’t change a thing. President Ashraf Ghani, who rightly blames foreign elements for exploiting Afghan soil to push their competing interests, has taken his case to the ...