Bing West

Bing West is a former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and combat marine. His third book on the Iraq War is The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics and the Endgame in Iraq (Random House, 2008).


Essays

Security

Afghan Awakening

| 10.30.08

Can Kabul be saved? More troops are on the way, but a one-size-fits-all surge is not enough. We also need to change our tactics.

Reviews

Security

A Warrior Ethos

| 06.28.10

Counterinsurgency is not a cure-all. Local allegiances will always trump the might of the invader. Washington’s insistence that the troops turn Kabul into a functioning democracy will only erode the military's fighting spirit.

Commentary

Security

Staying in Iraq

| 04.09.10

Obama should consider Allawi’s request to rethink the U.S. withdrawal timeline.

Security

Awakening Afghanistan

| 03.19.09

To win the war in Afghanistan, we can’t focus on nation-building. We have to train Afghan forces to be self-reliant, freeing us to deal with al-Qaeda.

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May 26, 2012