Pakistan and the U.S. Exit From Afghanistan

In the wake of the newly appointed heir to the North Korean dictatorship position, I've been thinking about the 'cult of personality'. Traditional reporting will often focus on the personality of leaders or, in the case of democracy, the details of leaders' interactions. While it's interesting to think about, some would call it one-sided, even topical. When I've got investments on the line, those are two words I don't want to describe my research.

The decisions of a single personality seem unreliable. But when you look deeper, you can see that most nations and even leaders with personality are forced to make decisions in a reliably logical fashion. What may seem like a broad spectrum of choices when examined carefully are actually just one or two logical ones. The personality of the leader is of much less consequence than the nation's geopolitics.

For a full understanding of this analytical approach, which is very much applicable in the finance world, get to know STRATFOR, a global intelligence company founded by my friend George Friedman. Read George's report below on U.S. options in Afghanistan, and << click here to sign up for their free weekly intelligence reports>>.

John Mauldin, Editor
Outside the Box

subscribers@mauldineconomics.com

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Pakistan and the U.S. Exit From Afghanistan

By George Friedman

Bob Woodward has released another book, this one on the debate over Afghanistan strategy in the Obama administration. As all his books do, the book has riveted Washington. It reveals that intense debate occurred over what course to take, that…