A major threat to the success of President Barack Obama's Afghan war strategy is the clandestine traffic that snakes along the rough roads of the country's East and South, providing insurgents with weapons and other supplies from neighboring Pakistan.
When insurgents have a sanctuary in a neighboring state, the job for the counter-insurgents is certainly harder. But that just means we have to do things differently to win and not just lament the lack of full Pakistan support:
As our strategy evolves we must avoid becoming so focused on problems we cannot readily solve, such as Pakistan's policies, that we lose sight of the tools we can use in Afghanistan to change the overall situation to our advantage.
The current plan of bolstering Afghan forces and government institutions so they can withstand insurgents that come in from Pakistan will work if we have enough time. If the locals don't support the insurgency, Pakistan-based insurgents become alien invaders rather than reinforcements for local insurgents.
Remember that for all the problems we have with getting Pakistan's full support to attack Taliban forces on their side of the border, we do get some help. That includes support for our drone strikes in many parts of the border.
How much help did we get from Syria and Iran in defeating the Iraq insurgencies? The answer is none, of course, with those countries actively supporting al Qaeda in Iraq and the Sadrists. Yet we won in Iraq notwithstanding the enemy lines of supply to Syria and Iran.
Too many people are seizing on the Pakistan question as an excuse to justify their calls for retreat from the former "good" war in Afghanistan. Recognize this argument for what it is--an excuse to run away. That's our Left's natural reflex and that is what they are doing today.
Work the problems. Fight the enemy. Pursue victory.
