Robert Gates: To succeed in Afghanistan will require much more than just guns

The long reach of violent extremism – emanating from failed and failing states, from ungoverned spaces – brought America and our allies to Afghanistan. That country has become the laboratory for what I have been talking about for the past year – how to apply and fully integrate the full range of instruments of national power and international co-operation to protect our vital interests.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Is Gloomy on Afghanistan