For forms sake

American President Barack Obamas claim that his strategy is working in Afghanistan is unlikely to impress either the increasingly sceptical audience at home or his adversaries,the Al Qaeda and the Taliban,comfortably ensconced across the border in Pakistan. As the war enters the tenth year,there is a growing political discomfort not only among the liberal left supporters of Obama but also within the right. Republicans,who have recently gained control of the House of Representatives,do back the war in Afghanistan as a matter of principle. But there is no denying the growing anxiety in Washington at the mounting costs of the war in Afghanistan. Many have begun to convince themselves that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won. The Al Qaeda and Taliban might have lost some of their momentum in recent months, thanks to the military surge effected by Obama. But they know time is on their side.

On his part,the US president concedes that the progress so far has been fragile and certainly reversible. His latest review of Afghanistan made public last week says the consolidation of the recent gains will depend upon further cooperation from the Pakistan army. It emphasises that defeating the Al Qaeda,one of the main objectives of the US military intervention in Afghanistan,requires the sustained denial of the groups safe haven in the tribal areas of western Pakistan. On stabilising Afghanistan,the review points to a resilient insurgency that finds shelter in a neighbouring sanctuary.

The US has not been unaware all these years of the central importance of eliminating the safe havens for extremism and terrorism in Pakistan in achieving its objectives in Afghanistan. That it has chosen to publicly articulate these concerns is indeed welcome. Yet,on this all-important question,the review has little to offer except the banal proposition that Washington needs greater cooperation with Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan. For now Washington remains focused on offering more carrots to induce Pakistan armys cooperation. Without a new strategy,that abandons the current US appeasement of the Pakistan army,there

is little chance of Washington succeeding in Afghanistan.