A Fork in the Road: Afghanistan

Although Iran and Iraq garner most of the attention, in many ways, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the most significant threats to worldwide security, peace and American prosperity. After eight years of US military intervention in Afghanistan, the Taliban is as strong as ever and continues to wage an increasingly sophisticated and destructive guerrilla campaign. In Kabul, the United States-backed president, Hamid Karzai, is widely regarded as an inept leader and complicit in a fraudulent election.

“I keep going back to Yogi Berra. You know: ‘When you reach a fork in the road, take it.’ I bet there are days when Obama wakes up and sees the fork in the road and decides he’s not going to take it. Because both choices are so bad.”

You can read this excellent article from last week's New York Times Magazine or you can scroll through The Big Picture's photo essay. Either way, you get a clear sense of how bleak this is.