It’s a few days old at this point, but readers interested in the Afghanistan policy debate will want to check out this Marc Lynch post at his Foreign Policy blog. Lynch has interesting things to say about how the narrative surrounding Obama’s decision gets framed in reductive terms, and offers a pithy summary of how the think-tank/op-ed dialogue will play out. As for his own views:
Greg Marx is an associate editor at CJR. Follow him on Twitter @gregamarx.I would urge [Obama and his advisers] to set aside both of these corrosive, misleading notions — that the choice is between “all in” or “getting out,” and that the time for decision ins now. Why is this not the right time to muddle through, avoiding the worst outcomes and changing strategy at the local level where possible, while waiting for the political situation in Afghanistan to clarify? Muddling through might not make for sexy headlines, but it’s probably good enough for what the U.S. needs to accomplish in Afghanistan for now and is closer to the resources actually available.
