KINGSTON, Jamaica - Barack Obama, the American president, is a history buff who likes to bone up on the policies and strategies of his predecessors.
As he moves to concretise his decision to provide arms to Syrian rebels, Mr Obama should probably reflect on a country called Afghanistan, where he is now attempting to end a war involving the United States.
He should consider how the Afghan mess was created, beyond the proximate issue of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorists, who the Americans went to dislodge after their 9/11 attacks on the United States (US).