A Grim Outlook for Afghanistan by Alex Thurston
Years of misguided strategy in Afghanistan may soon put us back at square one. As our NATO allies balk at the idea of increasing - or even maintaining - their current troop numbers, the Taliban are stepping up their attacks and inching closer to Kabul.

The US is pushing for greater troop commitments from European nations, but failing to obtain them. When Gates sent a "strongly worded letter" to Germany asking for more men, he received a "blunt response": no. At the same time, Canada has stated that unless other NATO members come through with more troops, they will withdraw their forces by the end of 2008. Given that Germany has 3,200 troops in Afghanistan, and Canada 2,500, the US' recent "mini-surge" of 3,200 marines looks like it isn't a surge at all, but rather a half-hearted attempt to reassure skeptical allies - and perhaps a way just to maintain, not increase, troop levels when our allies pull out.

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