The beheadings Friday illustrated the explosive power of Islam amongst the Afghan tribes, the resentment of the mullahs toward Westerners, and the unreliability of Karzai — who inflamed the populace by publicly upbraiding a Florida hater who had received scant coverage until Karzai spoke out. The mob reaction showed how fragile our nation-building, “win hearts and minds” strategy is.
— Bing West is author of The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy and the Way Out of Afghanistan.