The Crux of the Question

It seems apparent now that broadly speaking there are two schools of thought on the Afghanistan War. The first group believes that American military power can ultimately triumph over extremist movements in asymmetrical warfare, provided there is sufficient economic and governmental development alongside. The second group believes that American military power is generally an inflammatory element that sows anti-American sentiments wherever it is seen as an occupying force.

As far as I can tell, the efficacy of conventional armed forces in Afghanistan remains an unresolved question. Comparisons of America's war in Afghanistan to Soviet, British, and Greek (give me a break!) military excursions are irrelevant.

What are the consequences to projecting American military power abroad? Has it resulted in an increase or a decrease in domestic and international terrorism?



On December 10, Robert Wright and Christopher Hitchens engaged in an interesting debate on BloggingHeads.tv (which I have embedded below) on this very subject.