This is one of the best assessments of our military efforts in the Middle East of any I've encountered. It centers on Afghanistan but could be dealing with every other country in the area. The general consensus of this writer?
Afghanistan’s struggle is, and always has been, a local conflict in which the United States offers a bludgeon at best. The Afghan government relies on us to fill its coffers, back its efforts, and grant it international legitimacy. The opposition relies on us to make lethal mistakes to justify their propaganda, filling their coffers and acquiring international legitimacy of a different sort.
And it's cost us 2,400 lives and countless wounded. For what?
Read this excellent piece @ What Politicians Don’t Understand About The War In Afghanistan