Invading Iraq was a mistake- but the invasion of Afghanistan was reasonable; the Taliban were, up to that point, sheltering bin Laden, and not only refusing to hand him over but boasting of their ability to defy the rest of the world, and continue to support terrorist attacks.
History shows that invading Afghanistan can be done relatively easily- just don't hang around. Sure, the British lost an entire invasion force there in 1842- what is less well-known is the punitive invasion of 1843; invade, do some damage, kill your desired target, then get out before the country unites against you.
|