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Syria's Eerie Parallel to 1980s Afghanistan
(Washington Post) David Ignatius - The U.S. and its allies are moving in Syria toward a program of covert support for the rebels that, for better or worse, looks very much like what America and its friends did in Afghanistan in the 1980s. What does this historical comparison suggest? On the positive side, the Afghan mujahedeen won their war and eventually ousted the Russian-backed government. On the negative, this CIA-backed victory opened the way for decades of chaos and jihadist extremism that are still menacing Afghanistan, its neighbors and even the U.S. The U.S. should work hard (if secretly) to help the more sensible elements of the Syrian opposition and to limit the influence of extremists. The leaders of many Syrian tribes have sworn a blood oath of vengeance against Assad, and their power is one reason the engine of this insurgency is rural, conservative and Sunni. Iraq showed that the tribal leaders can be the best bulwark against the growth of al-Qaeda and other extremists.