A power surge in Helmand...but will the lights stay on?

The arc of US involvement in Afghanistan has been a wild ride. The initially spectacular success of the CIA and special forces, who led a local "insurgency" campaign to overthrow the Taliban regime and forces and scoured the Tora Bora region searching for Osama bin Laden are but a distant memory. Over the past few years, the "good war" in Afghanistan has been marred by the re-emergence of the Taliban, the destabilization and outright fraud of Hamid Karzai's government. Whispers of British and Russian failures in Afghanistan have grown into a rousing chorus predicting our impeding failure.


The current NATO led Operation Moshtarak in Helmand province centered around the towns of Marja and Nad Ali represent the first major "post surge" operation in Afghanistan. Obama's team including, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, CENTCOM commander General David Patreus and NATO commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, have all wagered their legacies (not to mention careers, lives of their soldiers, and billions in US taxpayer money) in a new definition of victory. The focus on securing, holding and extending government writ to Taliban strongholds instead of periodically "mowing the grass", a popular military term for periodic sweeps to kill Taliban forces, without holding territory. Operation Moshtarak is built around the promise to locals that after the territory is cleared, Afghan security forces will stay and create a security situation that will allow the extension of central control and development. 


I have no doubts in the ability of NATO forces to clear the Taliban, but I still am not sure what will be different about the illiterate, corrupt, ill trained Afghans that will remain behind. Can Hamid Karzai's government use this opportunity to rebuild, govern and extend stability beyond Kabul? The world can only hold their breath. The surge will only be a tremendous waste of resources if our allies in Kabul cannot keep the lights on after we are gone.