The Never-Ending War in Afghanistan
BOSTON — Remember
Afghanistan? The longest war in American history? Ever?
When it comes to wars,
we Americans have a selective memory. The Afghan war, dating from October 2001,
has earned the distinction of having been forgotten while still
underway.
President Trump’s
Inaugural Address included no mention of Afghanistan. Nor did his remarks last
month at a joint session of Congress. For the new commander in chief, the war
there qualifies at best as an afterthought — assuming, that is, he has thought
about it all.
A similar attitude
prevails on Capitol Hill. Congressional oversight has become pro forma. Last
week Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of Central Command, told Congress that the
Pentagon would probably need more troops in Afghanistan, a statement that seemed to catch
politicians and reporters by surprise — but that was old news to anyone who’s
been paying attention to the conflict.
And that’s the
problem. It doesn’t seem that anyone is. At the Senate hearings on the
nomination of James Mattis as defense secretary, Afghanistan barely came
up. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/opinion/the-never-ending-war-in-afghanistan.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
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