How long does it take for the US military to admit defeat? The answer is forever, according to Harlan Ullman. Today there are US soldiers deployed in Afghanistan who were one year-olds when the war began. Yet the Taliban is no closer to being banished than it was in 2001. Indeed, it occupies considerably more of the country today than it did two years ago. In the meantime, the US presence has fluctuated from a few thousand troops to more than 100,000 and back again. Each president thinks he has found the key to winning the conflict. Every time, the key breaks. Yet the Pentagon refrain continues: “Give me the tools and I will finish the job.
美国军方要承认失败需要多长时间？哈伦•乌尔曼(Harlan Ullman)说，答案是永不。当今部署到阿富汗的美军士兵里，有人在阿富汗战争开始时还只是1岁的孩子。然而，比起2001年时，美国并没有更接近自身的目标——捣毁塔利班(Taliban)。事实上，如今塔利班的地盘显著大于2年前。与此同时，驻阿富汗美军的兵力上上下下，从几千人增加到逾10万人，后来又回落。每一任总统都认为他找到了赢得这场冲突的钥匙。每一次，钥匙都崩断了。然而五角大楼依然继续高唱：“给我工具，我就能完成任务。”