Afghanistan - the real war on terror.

From CAP comes this:

Afghanistan: Urgent and Unresolved

Afghanistan - the original battleground against al Qaeda - the coming year will help answer critical questions about the nation's long-term stability and political future. Last month's adoption of a new constitution was an encouraging step, as are recent signs of an expanded role for NATO allies.

Afghanistan's leaders and people face enormous challenges, however, as they attempt to rebuild their nation. Most ominous of all is the lack of physical security in vast parts of the country, where warlords and their militias have seized and are exercising power. The Afghanistan-Pakistan border remains both dangerous and porous - a likely hiding place for al Qaeda operatives. Outside Kabul, reconstruction efforts have been slow and fragmented, in large part due to instability. And there are warnings from the U.N. and others that security concerns could delay planned elections. As CNN concluded in a special report last week, "Two years ago President Bush vowed that Afghanistan would never again become a haven for terrorism. He promised to rebuild this country into a free and safe democracy. But those hopes and dreams may be in jeopardy as violence is increasing and the Taliban are regrouping."

The U.S. focus on Iraq has severely limited our ability to meet challenges in Afghanistan, where the United States has stationed around 10,000 troops to cover a country with 647,500 sq km of territory and over 28 million people, compared to some 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. It is clear that the United States must move quickly and decisively - not only for the sake of meeting our responsibilities in Afghanistan, but also because we cannot allow al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations to regain their footing.

With this in mind, the Center for American Progress asked two leading scholars to offer their perspectives on what lies ahead for Afghanistan - and the challenges for Afghans, the United States and the international community.Much more at link.

Many quarters have reported that the Taliban are regrouping. To what extent is still unclear. In February, 2003 we linked to Terry Gross' Fresh Air interview of Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid. Rashid is widely regarded as the foremost English speaking authority on the Taliban, and has authored several books, including: Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. The link to the interview was the first entry I made in this blog. :)

We're still ahead of the pack! Remember, pure bs is educational.