The War in Afghanistan Begins Year 9

Starting Another Year of War in Afghanistan by Norman Solomon (http://original.antiwar.com/solomon/2009/10/01/starting-another-year-of-war-in-­afghanistan/)
October 2009 has begun with the New York Times reporting that "the president, vice president and an array of cabinet secretaries, intelligence chiefs, generals, diplomats, and advisers gathered in a windowless basement room of the White House for three hours on Wednesday to chart a new course in Afghanistan."
As this month begins the ninth year of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, "windowless" seems to be an apt metaphor. The structure of thought and the range of options being debated in Washingtons high places are notably insular. The "new course" will be a permutation of the present course.
While certainty is lacking, steely resolve is evident. An unspoken mantra remains in effect: When in doubt, keep killing. The knotty question is: Exactly who and how?
News accounts are filled with stories about options that mix "counterinsurgency" with "counterterrorism." The thicker the jargon in Washington, the louder the erudite tunes from the latest best and brightest — whistling past graveyards, to be filled by people far away.

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News & Politics

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• war in Afghanistan
• counterinsurgency
• counterterrorism
• Rachel Maddow