The British and American peoples perceive Afghanistan overwhelmingly in terms of their own body bags. There are good grounds for anger about under-resourcing of the campaign. But losses are the price of any war. British deaths over eight years remain fewer than those incurred in six weeks of the Falklands conflict, while US theatre casualties are a tiny fraction of Vietnam’s.
What matters is whether the Nato engagement is being conducted on sound principles, in pursuit of attainable objectives. The policy review by the new US commander, General Stanley McChrystal, has been delayed and is now expected to be delivered to the White House in mid-August. The British are fearful that it will understate the bottom-up Afghan political challenge and over-emphasise top-down military and economic issues.
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