Afghanistan and Syria: Twin failures of US policy

Afghanistan and Syria: Twin failures of US policy - Opinion - Stripes: 

None of the 16 previous commanders prevented Afghanistan from becoming a “safe haven” for terrorists. This is a fatally flawed strategy at the national level.
The multi-sided political problems in the fourth-most corrupt country in the world — with a neighboring country that provides constant safe haven for the insurgents — cannot be solved militarily. Even so, the unwillingness to recognize a mismatch between ends and means extends far beyond Kabul.
On Sept. 11, President Donald Trump tweeted a veiled warning to Syria’s Bashar Assad stating that it would be a “grave humanitarian mistake” if he were to make a military move to recapture this last rebel stronghold of Idlib province in his country.