Subscribe now

Vacate Afghanistan now

The Spokesman-Review

President Barack Obama is in trouble, say pundits, and his approval rating is down. He is dealing with our sick economy, two wars, seemingly impossible health care reform and nearly unanimous Republican opposition. His dominant foreign problem is Afghanistan- Pakistan, where he has conducted an unprecedented, two-month review in meetings with his military advisers.

Obama’s impressive dinner for India’s leader surely sent a message to Pakistani leaders, who do not share U.S. or India’s goals for that area. Pakistan often does not pursue the insurgents who freely cross over the Afghan-Pakistan border.

There is no obvious solution to Afghanistan and Pakistan. (The Nation magazine’s long article of Nov. 30 is my primary source.) Is a midcourse correction by Obama needed? Or is there no credible solution to this multifaceted problem?

My suggestions are to declare victory in Afghanistan and then leave. A failed Afghanistan is acceptable. Offer Pakistan technical and logistics support but also withdraw U.S. troops. If required, the Pakistanis can cope with the insurgents. Tough love? Yep.

Julian Powers

Spokane

Letters policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on local topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

  • No more than 250 words
  • We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
  • We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
  • With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
  • The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.

Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt. (Learn more.)

Submit letters using any of the following:

Our online form
Submit your letter here
Mail
Letters to the Editor
The Spokesman-Review
999 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201
Email
editor@spokesman.com
Fax
(509) 459-3815
Phone
(509) 459-5430

Read more about how we crafted our Letters to the Editor policy