McChrystal's Assessment

He's calling for a "civilian surge", among other things. He is trying to put this conflict into an historical perspective, which is nice to see. He is also taking cues from NATO, which again is nice to see (as opposed to unilateral action). Read the first 7 pages and you have enough (supposing your background is sound with the geography, history, current deployment in the region, and understanding of the current leadership).

The question really boils down to a simple one. Can America tackle a region where time and again, past powers have failed? (read for history of Afghanistan) I do not think that we can and certainly not in the short-term (<4 years). It would take 20-30 years probably and involve huge resources on our part. We'd have to build up infrastructure (including but not limited to schools, government offices, roads, and maybe even some factories) and provide HIGH levels of security the whole time. And let's not forget the Heroin-Trade.


http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/Assessment_Redacted_092109.pdf