Whilst I agree with much of what the author says in this text I feel he chickened out badly in simply saying that America is there simply because they are. I still stand by my statement that America (and therefore all it's allies including Australia who is as trapped as the NATO allies), is there simply as a salve to the American people after 9/11.
The original goal in the aftermath of that terrible event was to capture, kill or punish the perceived perpetrators of the attrocity. After a reasonably good start and of course with some lumps and bumps along the way, we are now in a situation where exiting is not as easy as saying OK you guys we're out of here good luck.
The goal now is to keep American (and it's allies), opinion positive about the potential outcomes of the war and to ensure that it continues to look like something is being done about the threat of terrorism.
As soon as this opinion is shattered and the President's popularity polls take a nosedive in relation to the war, you can almos guarantee that an exit strategy will be hastily arranged and the Afghans will be left pretty much to their own devices.
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