It remains a mystery — how Americans think we can wipe the slate clean on a war with a change in strategy, give ourselves a second chance, find extra lives like the war comes equipped with a Konami code, escape context. But for the Afghans, the people whose perceptions Gen. McChrystal justifiably considers strategically decisive, none of that applies. Read this excellent New York Times piece to underscore how there aren’t any reset buttons amongst the populace.

If the foreign forces are not seen so by Afghans already, they are on the cusp of being regarded as occupiers, with little to show people for their extended presence, fueling wild conspiracies about why they remain here.

The feeling is particularly acute in the Pashtun south, but it is spreading to other parts of the country. More American troops could tip the balance of opinion, particularly if they increase civilian casualties and prompt even more Taliban attacks.

The quotes in the piece from Afghans are of the form “what do the Americans do for me?” and not “the Americans’ very presence here offends me,” and so it appears that the strategically-decisive perspective has not strategically decided. The counterinsurgents operate from the basic premise that they need to give an answer to the “what do the Americans do for me?” question before the decision-point occurs. But it’s important to remember that the answer has to trump eight years of ineffectiveness or disinterest if it’s going to be compelling to the Afghans.