Why Pro-War Propaganda on Afghanistan Still Works
...obvious to well over 60 percent of Americans: the war is a failure and the Afghan government and its security forces warrant zero confidence by every observable metric
October 31, 2012
By John Glaser
Nobody thinks the Afghan government puts Afghanistan on a path to independence, stability, and good governance. Well, almost nobody.
According to the latest polls, an astonishing 40 percent of Americans think the war in Afghanistan is going “very well” or “fairly well.” And while 60 percent say America “should not be involved” in Afghanistan, 31 percent think we’re doing the right thing.
Most of the political class, and nearly all of the Washington, DC wonkers, however, believe what should be obvious to well over 60 percent of Americans: the war is a failure and the Afghan government and its security forces warrant zero confidence by every observable metric. A report by the International Crisis Group earlier this month found that the Afghan government “could collapse” after the 2014 transition and the Associated Press reported last week that “a decisive end seems nowhere in sight,” while noting the enduring Taliban insurgency, the failure of a negotiated settlement, the weakness of the US-backed Kabul government, and Washington’s plans to keep tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan well beyond the much-cited “withdrawal date” of 2014. “We are probably headed for stalemate in 2014,” says Stephen Biddle, a George Washington University professor who has advised US commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq.
So why the lingering support by sizable minorities?
http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2012/10/31/why-pro-war-propaganda-on-afghanistan-still-works.html
