The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) is hosting a forum on September 21 and 22 to discuss how the United States and its allies can advance and defend democracy around the world. Once upon a time, that was an uncontroversial proposition; today, it is the source of fairly passionate disagreement, including among conservatives. But I suppose that makes the conference timely and necessary. The line-up that’s been assembled by FPI is outstanding; you can see for yourself (and sign up) here. And speaking of FPI, it released a letter signed by Americans active in the foreign-policy debate expressing support for the U.S. effort in Afghanistan and calling upon President Obama to continue to provide the necessary resources requested by his commanders on the ground to ensure success (full disclosure: I was one of the signatories). The letter states:

The situation in Afghanistan is grave and deteriorating. Since the announcement of your administration’s new strategy, we have been troubled by calls for a drawdown of American forces in Afghanistan and a growing sense of defeatism about the war. With General McChrystal expected to request additional troops later this month, we urge you to continue on the path you have taken thus far and give our commanders on the ground the forces they need to implement a successful counterinsurgency strategy. There is no middle course. Incrementally committing fewer troops than required would be a grave mistake and may well lead to American defeat.