It's Not Just Al-Qaeda

Although our war there has at times seemed remote, Afghanistan itself occupies crucial geography. Situated between Iran and Pakistan, bordering China, and within reach of Russia and India, it sits on a crossroads of Asia's great powers. This is why it has, since the nineteenth century, been home to the so-called Great Game—in which the US should continue to be a player. Stabilizing Afghanistan is the only policy option that will secure the full range of our interests in South Asia. There are no practical alternatives.