The public debate over the situation in Afghanistan, which had already been fairly robust, may get a little wilder after Peter Galbraith’s scathing op-ed in Sunday’s Washington Post. The piece, by the recently-fired United Nations deputy for the region, brought a simmering feud over how the UN has responded to allegations of electoral fraud into full public view.
In addition to pinning a target on the UN, Galbraith’s piece will surely attract more media attention to the question of whether the United States should send more troops overseas. Galbraith did not quite take a stance on that question in the op-ed, but in his interview with Diane Sawyer this morning he advised against a “surge,” and said the situation in Afghanistan was more akin to Vietnam than Iraq. (He also advised against withdrawal.) With TV outlets devoting more time to Afghanistan, it’ll be interesting to see how prominently Galbraith’s views are featured in the emerging media narrative.
Greg Marx is an associate editor at CJR. Follow him on Twitter @gregamarx.