George Osborne’s Afghan letter from America

George Osborne is a keen observer of American politics, so perhaps it is little surprise to read in the Telegraph that the chancellor is arguing for faster withdrawal from Afghanistan. The American presidential race has confronted national war-weariness. The Obama camp has long held that the 2014 drawdown date is firm; that is when the troops will come hom. It is even thought that US training and logistical support to Kabul will be curtailed together with combat operations. The Romney camp’s view has been less clear, which suggests that it has not wanted to leave itself exposed during the campaign by committing to anything from a position of comparative ignorance next to Obama. In fact, there seems to be next to nothing between the two camps on this question: Paul Ryan said during Thursday’s debate that he and Romney ‘agree’ with the ‘timeline and transition’, which leaves very little room for manoeuvre on the specifics and pace of withdrawal.