Afghanistan reflects US' self-obsession

Forces led by the United States have neither been able to restore peace in Afghanistan nor help reconstruct the country even after almost 10 years of military action against the Taliban. On the contrary, security in Afghanistan has deteriorated, and a resurgent Taliban has created a more complex situation for the US and its allies.

The US has had to rethink its strategy toward Afghanistan.

Obama has said the Afghan issue is "far more than only a matter of the US, but an international security challenge at a higher level" and Washington would seek to establish a "new diplomatic mechanism", such as a regional security and economic forum of regional powers (Russia, Iran, India and China) that are worried over the situation in Afghanistan. This means Obama - compared with his predecessor George W. Bush - puts more emphasis on cooperation with other countries and international organizations to fight terrorism. This then is the other shift in US strategy.