WHAT ZALMAY FORGOT. While checking in on Steve Clemons' Washington Note, I came across this list from 2005 entitled "Ten Lessons for Nation-Building." I have a lot of respect for its author, Zalmay Khalilzad, as I think he's a pragmatic and able diplomat in a tough job (though he should have stayed in Afghanistan, where he was most effective). Nevertheless, if you peruse Khalilzad's list you'll note a gaping hole: nowhere does he list the most important job of an occupying power, which is to provide security for the populace. Is it just a coincidence that the U.S. has never, in fact, been able to provide the safe and secure environment that the Army's new counterinsurgency manual (PDF) stresses is essential to winning popular support? Priorities matter.
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Blake Hounshell
