Petraeus on Afghanistan

It is good counsel for anyone aiming to decode complex situations to go straight to the expert for clarification. Here is a thoughtful and encouraging piece on the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, namely on counterinsurgency, from a man who knows a thing or two about the subject, General David Petraeus.

From the Times Online:

Countering terrorists and extremism requires more than a conventional military approach. Military operations enable you to clear areas of extremist and insurgent elements, and to stop them from putting themselves back together. But the core of any counterinsurgency strategy must focus on the fact that the decisive terrain is the human terrain, not the high ground or river crossing.