Afghanistan is President Obama's war now, said Fred Kaplan in Slate. Obama's defense secretary, Robert Gates, is replacing Afghanistan commander Gen. David McKiernan, a specialist in old-school warfare, with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a leader of an Army "new guard" that focuses on "asymmetric conflicts" and counterinsurgency. This change is "a very big deal."
The McChrystal decision is good if it means Obama is ready to take back control that the Bush administration handed to NATO, said Tom Donnelly in The Weekly Standard. It's bad if it's the start of a "dumbing-down of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan to a narrower counterterrorism approach." The administration should feel a new sense of "urgency in improving the situation in Afghanistan," but we'll make wrong moves if the urgency becomes impatience.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Rosalía and the rise of nunmaniaUnder The Radar It may just be a ‘seasonal spike’ but Spain is ‘enthralled’ with all things nun
-
Magazine solutions - November 14, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 14, 2025
-
Israel jolted by ‘shocking’ settler violenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT A wave of brazen attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank has prompted a rare public outcry from Israeli officials
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardonTalking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidentsThe Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are US billionaires backing?The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
