I got to wondering this morning how many U.S. citizens actually know where Afghanistan is located. A relatively small percentage I'd bet --- geography is not high on our list of educational priorities (although it should be). So here's a small map. If you're unsure about the locations of India, China and the Arabian Sea, there is no hope.
Location is only part of the problem, but a look at the map and some basic understanding of cultural factors --- the strongly traditional nature of the majority of the population in this landlocked and ancient "graveyard of empires" --- go a long way toward explaining our current debacle.
Here's a piece I benefitted from reading this morning --- an analysis by Adam Nossiter, Kabul bureau chief for The New York Times, entitled "America's Afghan War: A Defeat Foretold?"
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