Afghanistan ... the Changes

As a result of President Trump's recent speech about our involvement in Afghanistan, some have argued that it differs little from the Bush and Obama approaches. Writing for RealClearDefense, author Jeff Goodson argues the new approach differs in 12 ways.

Here are the dozen he lists. The ones I believe key are starred (*).

Security First
Conditions-based Action*
Close Hold Planning*
Intensity of Focus
Gloves Off*
A True Regional Approach
Pakistan
Instruments of Power
India
Governance
Afghan Accountability
Fight to Win*

Robust rules of engagement, killing terrorists, not announcing our moves or timelines in advance, and trying to win, not just keep from losing. Those, plus not insisting on participatory democracy in a place accustomed to warlords, are all worthy changes as seen by Goodson, a former USAID exec. incountry.