A Winnable War?

To Achieve Victory in Afghanistan
Your Feb. 9 essays on Afghanistan were brilliant and seminal. In "Obama's Vietnam," John Barry and Evan Thomas masterfully examined the similarities and differences between Vietnam and Afghanistan, and Fareed Zakaria made some common-sense suggestions in "A Turnaround Strategy." But I object to the title "Obama's Vietnam." Not because I dispute the similarity of the two wars, but rather because it undeservedly and prematurely connotes and ascribes de-feat and failure to our new president. If we do not succeed in Afghanistan--and we must--it will not be Obama's Vietnam. It will be America's tragedy.
Maj. Dorian de Wind, USAF (Ret.)
Austin, Texas

Your cover story could have been headed "Obama's Vietnam: Is the Afghanistan-Pakistan Problem America's to Solve?" I was brought up in "Afghan-Pak country." These people see the United States as a bull--purposeless, enraged and lethal. The Afghan-Pak people must be allowed to define their destiny, even if it is at excruciating cultural, ethnic, economic and casualty costs. All the U.S. can do is support the region in a nonviolent manner, sidestepping the "terrorism trail."
Majid Ali
New York, New York

America's situation in Afghanistan does look disturbingly similar to Vietnam. However, the cover headline, "Obama's Vietnam," is misleading. How, may I ask, could this possibly be Obama's war? Barack Obama has been in the White House only a few weeks, having inherited a mess of gigantic proportions--two unfinished wars, both going on for a number of years; a huge economic downturn, not only in the United States but worldwide, with no real solution in sight. It is rather misleading, if not irresponsible, that your title somehow hints at putting the blame on Obama. If compared at all, it would certainly have to be called Bush's Vietnam. Please be fair.
Magda E. Winkens
Enniscorthy, Ireland

If Afghanistan is in fact made up of a group of tribes held together artificially in the way Yugoslavia and Czechoslo-vakia once were, perhaps the solution is obvious. Why not divide the land along tribal lines into a series of "new" countries? This should please most warlords and local leaders. Coalition resources would then be truly able to focus on nation building while placing fewer personnel and civilians in harm's way.
Joel L. Goldman
Toronto, Canada

The "no nation" that John Barry and Evan Thomas refer to is a country with a population of more than 30 million, of whom about 45 percent are children. These impoverished, illiterate people (who may have never heard of Vietnam) want only food, shelter and safety. Their "semi-failed" state was a developing, peaceful country until the late 1970s, when it was caught in a proxy war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The anarchy that followed and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban, along with the atrocities and destruction it unleashed, are well known. There can be no doubt that the United States will succeed in eliminating the Taliban in Afghanistan and cutting off its sources in Pakistan. However, the U.S. and the international community must pro-vide food, homes and succor to the people who have long suffered; this cannot wait until final victory. Apart from soldiers, the country needs doctors, teachers, engineers, traders and builders. Countries unwilling to join the military effort can surely help with humanitarian assistance and rebuilding, which will be required long after the soldiers have gone home. Afghanistan must not be abandoned again.
Rajendra N. Srivastava
New Delhi, India

The Afghanistan imbroglio is not America's responsibility alone. In a sense, all free countries share a moral duty in confronting the risks and dangers stemming from violent and hate-filled jihadism. It appears that the memories of the attacks in Madrid on March 11, 2004, and in London on July 7, 2005, are fading into the background of many people's minds, superseded by more recent concerns and anxie-ties, like the worldwide economic crisis. Obama was markedly diplomatic last July when he spoke to the crowds in Berlin as a candidate. The question is whether as president he can muster all his rhetorical prowess to persuade old allies to pull just a little more of their weight in the future.
Werner Radtke
Paderborn, Germany