Afghanistan and the War Legend.

• Author: Abrahamson, James L.

Beginning with an analysis of President Obama's 31 August 2010 Oval Office speech, Mr. Merry asserts that every wise war leader should develop for his public a satisfactory "war legend." Doing so requires that he thank those who served and sacrificed, spread "the balm of unity over any lingering domestic wounds," and assure his citizens that the war's results were worth its costs and that their nation emerged with its honor and prestige intact.

Though having made a start with that in his speech, developing such legend for Iraq poses several challenges for Mr. Obama: Because he had opposed the war, his later praise risks the appearance of insincerity. There are also doubts that America's rationale will survive close scrutiny. Though it had indeed overthrown the regime of Saddam Hussein, it remains to be seen whether Iraq will survive as a "stable, pro-Western regime" and regional "counterweight" to Iran.

Merry's major focus, however, is the difficulty of establishing a suitable war legend for Afghanistan before troops begin leaving in 2011. A team of experts believed to be working on the war's outcome are said to doubt that NATO forces can impose a settlement on Afghanistan and are instead (1) looking to an Afghan accommodation involving Russia, Pakistan, India, and even Iran; (2) seeking compromises with local...