Editorial: The Afghani conundrum

President Barack Obama is reviewing a commander’s assessment that could potentially add tens… President Barack Obama is reviewing a commander’s assessment that could potentially add tens of thousands of troops to the burgeoning military conflict in Afghanistan. The report, submitted by Gen. Stanley McChrystal to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, warns that “resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it.”

Public support wanes for this once-popular war, and the activation of more troops will surely disrupt the education of many enlisted college students.

While the war in Iraq is understandably controversial, the American citizenry needs to stave off war fatigue. This will be difficult, especially given that The New York Times projects the general’s proposal to request 10,000 to 45,000 troops, in addition to the 68,000 already approved.

It will disrupt more lives and send many soldiers to their deaths. It will also confuse many family members who sit at home wondering why, eight years later, a superpower is struggling to win against a rudimentary insurgency which fights from caves.

There have been 1,400 casualties in Operation Enduring Freedom — the official title of the military action — and at $65 billion, the budget request for Afghani operations eclipsed the request for activity in Iraq for the first time ever.

More troops might work, but then again it might not — Obama acknowledges that he won’t approve more troops until he sees a strategy. Less troops will surely result in disaster, and the current strategy is failing.

Outside of some Sun Tzu readings or reflection on past wars, most citizens do not have a comprehensive understanding of warfare — much less modern warfare. Unfortunately, this results in a blurring of the differences between the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Afghani problem has no historical reference point. It cannot be solved mathematically, as citizens are wont to think of war because employing more troops does not ensure success. Gen. McChrystal admits as much himself.

It is what happens with those troops that matters, and thankfully Obama said he will not make a decision on activating more soldiers until a concrete strategy is ready. Gen. McChrystal alludes to less search-and-destroy missions in favor of protecting Afghani citizens.

This rhetoric is starting to sound familiar: They stand up and we stand down. This makes it even harder for people to remember that Iraq and Afghanistan are two very different conflicts in two very different countries.

As we revitalize the public discussion, let us recall the lessons learned from Iraq — but not forget that we are in Afghanistan for a very different reason.