Afghan War

July 26, 2010 – New York Times

Leaked Documents Offer Candid Look at Afghan War

To the Editor:

Re “The Afghan Struggle: A Secret Archive” (“The War Logs,” front page, July 26):•

To the Editor:

It should come as no surprise that Pakistan has been aiding the Taliban (“Pakistan Spy Unit Aiding Insurgents, Reports Suggest,” “The War Logs,” front page, July 26) since Pakistan needs the Taliban in Afghanistan as a buffer against the expansion of its rival India’s power in Afghanistan.

Concentrating on Iraq, the Bush presidency ignored this political reality. One hopes that the Obama presidency will not, and that it will end the war with a realpolitik compromise, instead of feeding the public misguided platitudes about building democracy, helping women and, oh yes, fighting terror, as an unquestioning Congress hands over billions more for the war.

The WikiLeaks may not be the Pentagon Papers all over again, but they show that the foundation upon which American war policy in the region rests is nothing but sand.

Tom Miller
Oakland, Calif., July 26, 2010