In normal circumstances, the grim news that the death toll among US forces in Afghanistan had passed the 2,000 mark would have merited a solemn statement from Barack Obama, in his capacity as commander-in-chief. The Afghan conflict is, after all, supposed to be “Obama’s War” – a “war of necessity” against Islamist terrorists, as opposed to his predecessor’s war of choice in Iraq.





Yet with the presidential election race now entering its final stages, Mr Obama appears strangely reluctant to address the Afghan issue. Apart from brief references to his achievement in ending the war in Iraq, and his intention to do the same in Afghanistan, the conflict has almost been forgotten so far as the election campaign is concerned, with the Obama team determined to steer clear of an issue that no longer enjoys much popular support. The same goes for Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate. Despite his bellicose statements on national security issues such as Iran, he has been reticent about Afghanistan, beyond echoing the calls for a timely withdrawal: in his keynote speech to the Republican convention, he failed to mention the war, or to pay the customary tribute to America’s forces overseas.





With the future of the Afghan campaign hanging in the balance, this is an inopportune moment for America’s political classes to be suffering from a collective bout of amnesia. The Taliban remains a force to be reckoned with, as demonstrated by its recent spate of attacks against Nato troops, and is determined to re-establish its power base once American and British troops conclude their combat operations in 2014, and hand over full responsibility to local forces. If the West’s fragile gains do indeed unravel in such a fashion, neither Mr Obama nor Mr Romney will be able to ignore the implications.