What Can Colombia Teach Us About Afghanistan?

The United States and Colombia have been testing out COIN strategies for years. But the major lesson for Afghanistan is a tough one: there are no clean answers in messy wars.  

JUAN MANUEL BARRERO/AFP/Getty Images
JUAN MANUEL BARRERO/AFP/Getty Images
JUAN MANUEL BARRERO/AFP/Getty Images

The United States and Colombia have been testing out COIN strategies for years. But the major lesson for Afghanistan is a tough one: there are no clean answers in messy wars.

 

The United States and Colombia have been testing out COIN strategies for years. But the major lesson for Afghanistan is a tough one: there are no clean answers in messy wars.

 

Adam Isacson is director of the Colombia Program of the Center for International Policy.

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