A View of Afghanistan from Australia

Yes, it is a view by an American. Bill Claiborne lives in Australia but he worked for the Washington Post for more than 30 years. And, it is a view that appeared in the Nieman Watchdog so you have to suspect it will lean to the liberal point of view. Nonetheless, there is a fair dollop of sound opinion in Claiborne's piece.

First, Claiborne reports on a Pew Global Attitudes Survey which shows support for our war in Afghanistan is decreasing in the smaller countries, such as Australia and Canada, that supply troops there. He then raises the issue of Afghanistan being the graveyard of empires and raises the usual surmises as to the truth of the assertion. The effect of casualties is another issue that seems to be leading to nations pulling out of the "coalition". And, once again, the question of relating our Afghanistan situation to Vietnam rears its head and Claiborne comes down on the side of both being quagmires.