Less Is More In Afghanistan…Or Is It?

With the Taliban gaining strength in recent months, it is widely agreed upon that the Bush administration has underdone it in Afghanistan. In particular, critics allege that Afghan reconstruction and counter-insurgency efforts have been hampered by a lack of political will and an unwillingness to deploy enough American/NATO troops. But Rory Stewart, in a compelling op-ed in The New York Times recently, argues that the problem in Afghanistan is not that we have too few troops, it’s that we have too many. Might he be on to something?