Iraq and Afghanistan

While the bad news seems piling up again day after day in Iraq, there are still a few bright clouds. It has been noticed by the media that the condemnation in the Arab world of the attack on Falluja has been greatly moderated this time over what it was during Falluja I last April. It appears that many Arabs are tiring of the killing by their side as well as ours. This same turning against the insurgents is also apparent in a few stray comments picked up by the press within the country. It is also important to keep in mind the extent to which parallel American policies have succeeded, at least so far, in Afghanistan, a country that many would have regarded as more difficult — and one in which we have had relatively few troops. This latter point needs to be remembered by those (such as myself) who have always insisted that we went into Iraq with too few troops. One cannot assume that all is well in Afghanistan. But it does appear that the Taliban (or al-Qaida, together or separately) are contained. They can still kill on occasion. But they do not seem to be likely to derail the upcoming parliamentary elections. And beyond that point the country may be able to relax. The plans to develop and reconstruct Afghanistan were much less extensive than those for Iraq. The difference is that the reconstruction has been able to keep ahead of the destruction in Afghanistan. The foreign and Afghan national forces are not large enough to be providing the security that exists today. So it must be that the tribes and their hated war lords are actually keeping the peace, at least in their fashion. This may be a lesson we will have to relearn in parts of Iraq.