Letters: Afghanistan’s not worth it
Re “The Afghan formula,” Opinion, Jan. 17
Max Boot’s assessment that the war in Afghanistan “shows no sign of ending any time soon” is right. Afghanistan is basically a lawless frontier that will not be tamed any time soon. Hundreds of thousands of troops would be needed to completely subdue the country.
America’s mission to kill or capture Osama bin Laden and chase Al Qaeda out has been accomplished. To turn Afghanistan into a pacified Western democracy is a neoconservative pipe dream. We should make peace with the government, the warlords and the tribes, shake hands and then leave.
Paul Moser III
Studio City
It is interesting when a person who never served in combat is willing to sacrifice the lives of more American servicemen and women in pursuit of an elusive “victory” in Afghanistan. After more than 10 years of fighting and dying with negligible results, President Obama has, apparently, rightly concluded that this war is no longer worth the sacrifice.
But Boot wants to soldier on. Has he learned nothing from Vietnam or Iraq?
Dennis McIntyre
Rancho Palos Verdes
ALSO:
Letters: Why the GOP lost its way
A cure for the common opinion
Get thought-provoking perspectives with our weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
