The Globalist

Vast inflows of donor cash, intended to bring about reconstruction, may instead have added significantly to Afghanistan’s corruption problems.

Corruption and the lack of the rule of law is a fundamental cause of the Afghan debacle.

Pakistan’s machinations and America’s past delusions pose obstacles to a successful strategic outcome for the war In Afghanistan.

The Trump Administration’s obsession with the Iran nuclear deal cannot obscure the U.S. role in strengthening Iran.

A policy to win in Afghanistan requires undermining the Taliban’s strategic base – the external support and sanctuary that Pakistan continues to provide.

After 16 years of fighting, dispatching an additional force of 4,000 soldiers will not change anything.

There is no military solution to the war in Afghanistan. The solution to the debacle lies with the Afghan tribes.

The area under cultivation is approaching the size of the smallest U.S. state.

Despite U.S. elimination efforts since the 2001 invasion, production of the drug crop is much higher.

Opium is an ever-larger source of funds and legitimacy for the once anti-drug Afghan insurgency.