To Exit Afghanistan, We Should Say We’ll Stay: Meghan O’Sullivan

Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Even last week’s swearing in of RyanCrocker -- one of the most talented U.S. diplomats -- asambassador to Kabul seems unable to stanch the perception thatU.S. efforts in Afghanistan are waning. Most Americans takesolace in the notion that, in President Barack Obama’s words,“the tide of wars is receding,” regardless of whether theadministration can tie its disengagement to success.

But for Afghans and others in the region, Obama’s decisionin June to start bringing U.S. forces home, beginning with awithdrawal of all 33,000 surge troops by September 2012, is thestart of a post-American Afghanistan that is certain to bemarked by regional competition and more battles with extremism.Is there any way to recapture momentum in Afghanistan?