Afghanistan on center stage

Chicago Tribune: For years, Afghanistan has been The Other War. The one overshadowed by Iraq. The one that Americans thought they’d won years ago. The one that NATO was supposed to be leading.

Now, as the Iraq war recedes, Afghanistan takes center stage. And here is the central paradox of this war: NATO is winning every battle. Yet it is losing the war. ...

President Barack Obama recently announced a new strategy that borrowed heavily from the successful “surge” that quelled violence and tipped the balance in Iraq. He said the U.S. would send 21,000 troops, including 4,000 to help train the Afghan army and police.

Canny move

Obama’s surge is a canny move. As in Iraq, it isn’t just about more troops on the ground, but finding the right pressure points ... to quell the insurgents and bolster elected leaders.

Just as important, the U.S. must set some clear benchmarks for progress, as President Bush did in Iraq. That means clear, measurable goals and regular public reports on progress.

Obama intends to win this war. But what about America’s NATO allies? While America troop levels soar to about 68,000 by the end of the year NATO essentially stands pat. It is fielding a force of about 32,000 non-American soldiers in Afghanistan.