How to End the War in Afghanistan.

• Author: Cotter, Ambassador Michael W.
• Position: Book review

How to End the War in Afghanistan

By David Miliband, Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/apr/05/how-to-end-the-war-in-afghanistan/

Reviewed by Ambassador Michael W. Cotter, Publisher

There is no shortage of theses, articles, blogs, and media commentary on ending the war in Afghanistan. Few, however, are written for the public record by authors as prominent and well-placed as this article that appeared in the April 29 issue of The New York Review of Books. The article is noteworthy not only because the author, David Miliband, is the foreign minister of the United Kingdom, but also because some of the points he makes appear to differ in some ways from the public statements of the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.

First, Miliband suggests quite clearly that political engagement with many of the elements that compose the Taliban will be a prerequisite to a successful conclusion. More importantly, he makes a strong argument that a solution will require the active cooperation of Afghanistan's neighbors, basing it on two critical facts: that no country in the region or the international community will allow Afghanistan to be dominated, or used as a strategic asset by a neighboring state; and that the status quo in...