Afghanistan descends into chaos

Terrorist attacks that claim many victims are becoming ever more frequent in Afghanistan, and large parts of the country are controlled by extremist groups such as the Taliban. The US air force is now flying more missions there than it has since 2012. Is there any hope of peace for the country?

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Magyar Nemzet (HU) /

Situation reminiscent of Vietnam

Afghanistan is almost no closer to a peaceful solution to the conflict than it was back when the US troops invaded in 2001, Magyar Nemzet comments:

“What is going on in Afghanistan? The government in Kabul and the US forces that back it are not one step closer to achieving a solution to the conflict - that is a military victory - than they were five or even ten years ago. Experts talk of a military stalemate. Translated into guerilla parlance that means the rebels have the upper hand. ... In many respects the situation is reminiscent of the final stages of the Vietnam War. ... More and more you hear US troops stationed in Afghanistan ask: 'Why are we still here?'”

Süddeutsche Zeitung (DE) /

US must get Pakistan involved

The US must take firm steps to end the terror disrupting daily life in Afghanistan, the Süddeutsche Zeitung urges:

“Washington has very little military pressure to fall back on; what remains is the struggle for diplomatic ascendency. To that end, far from putting an end to cooperation with Pakistan Trump should do more to involve Islamabad in the developments, no matter how distasteful that may be to Washington. Only with the help of the Pakistani government will peace talks with the Taliban be possible. If the country's security establishment is not involved it could further undermine the reconciliation process. And to win back Pakistan's trust Trump has no alternative but to go through Beijing. China now vouchsafes Pakistan's economic growth and is exploiting the vacuum left in Afghanistan by the West.”

Le Figaro (FR) /

Alexander the Great as role model

The US should look back to antiquity if it wants to mend its tattered ties with the Afghani people, Le Figaro recommends:

“The American blunders, the corruption caused by money flows and the attacks have turned the Afghanis against Washington. In this respect the Americans would do well to follow the example of Alexander the Great. He understood how to tame this fascinating country where the horrible rubs shoulders with the sublime, and where his dream of a Eurasian empire flourished for a time. He fought as a man of honour at the head of his troops. With a caravan of learned scholars in tow, Alexander read Herodotus in his tent and not his own counter-insurrection manual, for example, and married his generals to local princesses. ... He knew how to win the Afghanis' respect.”