Good read over at Strategy Page on why the media is missing the real story in Afghanistan:

A major problem with this strategy is that the Taliban have the support of less than a quarter of the Afghan population. Most of Afghanistan is at peace, but that is not considered news and is rarely reported on. Most of Afghanistan has always hated the Taliban, and resisted them violently. Again, this is not news and rarely reported. But the Taliban know that every suicide bomber attack is considered news, and will be reported. This gives the Taliban power, because they know that if you feed the press corps the right kinds of press releases, the foreign media will publish what amounts to a pro-Taliban view of the situation. So while most Afghans view the Taliban and al Qaeda as a foreign backed, and heroin funded, rebellion by a few Pushtun tribes in the south, the world sees the situation as the Taliban on the verge of retaking control of the country. This, of course, ignores the fact that the Taliban never controlled the entire country. When the U.S. intervened after September 11, 2001, the Taliban were still fighting non-Pushtun tribes in the north, who had no intention of submitting to Taliban control.  [Strategy Page]

Fortunately we all should be getting some better media coverage of Afghanistan with Michael Yon over there now.  The last time Yon was over in Afghanistan he was extremely pessimistic so it will be interesting to read what he reports wants he gets settled over there.

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