[BITList] afghan mining?

[CT's]

a different pov

ct

Analysis: Did the "gray lady" get played?
Was The New York Times' story on minerals in Afghanistan smart or the result of Pentagon PR?

At a recent conference on Afghanistan, attended by several of the most respected research centers, the topic that drew the most heated response was the relative positions of the foreign troops and the Taliban.

No one among the august group argued that victory was on the horizon; instead, they spent more than two hours debating the difference between "stalemate" and "defeat."

"I told them they had already lost," said one conference participant, speaking on condition of anonymity. The conference was trying to sail "under the radar" and was not open to the media.

"If you have 46 countries and the world's most developed economies unable to defeat a bunch of insurgents, then you are just finished," the attendee added.

This view was echoed at another super-secret gathering last week, where a prominent Afghanistan expert told high-level officials that it was time to get out of the country.

"You cannot win," said the authority. "Make a deal and leave."

This advice met with a stony silence, according to one of the attendees.



http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/afghanistan/100616/new-york-times-james-risen-afghanistan-mineral-deposits
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