The Folly of the Next Afghan “Surge”

by Danny Sjursen We walked in a single file. Not because it was tactically sound. It wasn’t — at least according to standard infantry doctrine. Patrolling southern Afghanistan in column formation limited maneuverability, made it difficult to mass fire, and… Continue Reading

Iraq: Surge Resurgence?

by Jim Lobe Two weeks ago, The Washington Post’s premier neoconservative columnist, Charles Krauthammer, wrote the following: The fact is that by the end of Bush’s tenure, the [Iraq] war had been won. You can argue that the price of… Continue Reading

Despite 2009 “Surge” Taliban Remains Force to be Reckoned with in Afghanistan

Foreign Policy’s Stephen Walt highlights a chart by Belfer Center fellow Matt Waldman showing that as the US-led 2009 “Surge” in Afghanistan proceeded, US casualties increased. The pace in 2012 is also roughly similar to the toll from the previous two years: Equally important,… Continue Reading