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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Thomas Walkom: After Afghanistan failure, NATO should scale back or call it quits (in The Toronto Star)

"The sad story of the Afghan war is well-known. It was ill-conceived and ultimately counterproductive. It has lasted longer than World War II, yet achieved virtually nothing.

"As the New York Times reported this week, U.S. officials no longer talk of leaving a coherent, strong, democratic state behind when they and other NATO members pull out the bulk of their troops in 2014.

"Instead they talk of leaving behind something “good enough for Afghanistan.” By that they mean a nation still divided, still embroiled in civil war — one where the Taliban still controls large swaths of territory.

...

"Perhaps NATO should return to what it was originally supposed to be: a strictly defensive military alliance.

"Or, if there’s no need for that, perhaps it should gracefully exit the world stage. Sixty-three years is a respectable run."

Full article: Canada News: Walkom: After Afghanistan failure, NATO should scale back or call it quits.