1. It’s a war that cannot be won. The mountainous terrain is perfect for guerrilla warfare and the porous border with Pakistan allows the Taliban to seek refuge beyond the grasp of the American forces.
2. Local Allies cannot be trusted. American soldiers have come under fire from Afghan troops (who are supposed to be on the Allied Side), while the Afghan President Hamid Karzai appears to be talking out of both sides of his mouth (he even suggested at one point that he would team up with the Taliban).
3. American lives are being lost for very little gain in propping up an intolerant Afghan government that still itself does not believe in religious freedom.
4. The War has further destabilized Pakistan. Its time that Pakistan dealt themselves with issues in their backyard.
5. The Afghan population is too tribal in its profile. Bringing Western style democracy to a country that has not gone through a religious reformation and intellectual renaissance – let alone an enlightenment – is ridiculous. If the US wishes to support interventionist nation building, which it really shouldn’t, it ought to make sure that there is a nation to build. Afghanistan fails this litmus test.
6. The cost on the US Treasury (and ultimately the taxpayer) is severe. The money is better spent elsewhere at home.
7. The big winners in this war are the enemies of the US, who can profit by selling weapons to the Taliban, who in turn fund their purchases with the sale of drugs. Once again the evil multiplies.
8. The Canadians have left, the French are on their way out and the British will be quitting soon. American left isolated in a foreign war, miles away from home, with no clear agenda, can only serve to further dampen troop morale and increase losses.
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