Colonel Gentile and Professor Layne On Our Afghan Strategy

I almost hesitate to post this, as I want to do nothing to discourage Colonel Gentile from continuing his lonely "Jihad" against the COINistas in the Army.  His arguments about the strategic emptiness of our current COIN fascination are at the heart of  the emerging Seapower/ Maritime Grand Strategy debate.

Of interest also is Christopher Layne's excellent editorial questioning the current strategy in Afghanistan, which includes this insightful closing paragraph:

"On its own terms, COIN is a problematic policy. Even more worryingly, it sets exactly the wrong grand strategic priorities for the United States. In an ironic coincidence, the same morning leading newspapers carried reports of Gen. Petraeus' remarks, another headline announced that China has overtaken Japan as the world's second largest economic power and is on track to overtake the U.S. by 2030 (indeed perhaps as soon as 2020, according to many leading experts). In the early 21st century, East Asia is becoming the world's geopolitical and economic fulcrum, and it is U.S. air and naval power that will be needed to meet the emerging challenge from China. That is where America's long-term grand strategic interests lie —- not in fighting futile Eurasian land wars in places like Afghanistan and Iraq."

Bryan McGrath