Frederick Kagan: A Stable Pakistan Needs a Stable Afghanistan - WSJ

Winning the war in Afghanistan—creating a stable and legitimate Afghan state that can control its territory—will be difficult.

Critics of the war have suggested we should draw down our troops and force Pakistan to play a larger role in eliminating radical extremists. American concerns about al Qaeda and Taliban operating from Pakistani bases have led to the conventional wisdom that Pakistan matters to the U.S. because of what it could do to help—or hurt—in Afghanistan. The conventional wisdom is wrong as usual.

When Afghanistan descended into chaos in the '90s following the Soviet withdrawal, Pakistan intervened by building the Taliban into an organization strong enough to establish its writ at least throughout the Pashtun lands. - Frederick Kagan: A Stable Pakistan Needs a Stable Afghanistan

9/11 and 9/9 Will President Obama even mention Afghanistan when he addresses Congress next week?