Outline of Afghanistan Positions

Position 1:

Trudy Rubin wrote an article presenting the political views of the counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen, who believes that American troops must remain in Afghanistan and prevent further parts of the country from falling under the control of the Taliban.

a. He thinks the US needs to address the issues concerning Pakistan's tribal areas, which are threatening the Pakistan government and providing shelter for the Taliban and Al-Quaida. 

b. He believes troops are essential in Afghanistan, and the development of a sound counterinsurgency strategy is necessary.

c. He strongly believes that there is no military solution to Afghanistan, and that the only rel solution is to "Protect, Build, and ultimately Hand-off to the Afghans."

Position 2: 

Michael A. Cohen and Parag Khanna wrote an article in Foreign Policy expressing their desire to see the US shift most of the military effort to Pakistan instead of Afghanistan.

a. They believe that the Taliban is too unpopular in Afghanistan to have a chance of taking back the country.

b. They think the U.S. has too many troops in a country where the enemy is across the border.

c. They think the U.S. should spend more time strengthening Pakistans government and armed forces.

Position 3:

Tariq Ali wrote an article, "Mirage of the Good War", placing more emphasis on regional negotiations rather than military solutions.

a. Ali believes that the U.S. should not be stabilizing force in Afghanistan but should withdraw advocating a peace initiative by countries of the region.

b. He attributes the rise of the Taliban to discontent with the actions of the U.S. and NATO armed forces, along with resentment to the corrupt Afghan government.

c. He believes that the solution is solely political, not military, and that the US should withdraw their military forces from Afghanistan and follow up with a regional pact to commit to a decade of stability for Afghanistan. He urges "a serious social and economic plan to rebuild the country and provide the basic necessities for its people."

Position 4

George Will wrote an article for the Washington Post that strongly advocates the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan.

a. He clearly states that the aspirations the US has for Afghanistan are unattainable, and its forces should be notably reduced.

b. He acknowledges that "in order to protect the population Afghanistan would need hundreds of thousands of troops for at least a decade, perhaps more, and that is inconceivable."

c. He strongly believes that the forces in Afghanistan should be primarily based offshore, doing only what can be done using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, air strikes and small, potent Special Forces.