"Who lost North Africa?"

Be on the lookout. The debate over who screwed up in North Africa, whose decisions or programs led to the problems of the coup and insurgency in Mali, the continuing unrest in Libya and Egypt, and so forth, is coming soon to newspapers, blogs and congressional hearings near you.  I don't have enough background even to begin to assess the arguments, but I think we need to think about whether our governmental programs are balanced and coordinated. We also need the humility to consider that events in that region may be beyond American control and subject only to limited U.S.influence.

Nevertheless, Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post has a lengthy article revealing interagency disputes over what to do and what failed.

Let the debate continue.