Learning to work with our man in Afghanistan - Fareed Zakaria

President Obama keeps saying that he intends to win the war in Afghanistan. "There will be difficult days ahead, but I am absolutely confident that we will succeed," he promised in this year's State of the Union address.

This is Afghanistan we're talking about -- one of the five poorest countries in the world, destroyed by 30 years of war. It has a tribal culture and a literacy rate that's among the lowest on Earth. This climate would be challenging for anyone.

A perceptive essay by Barnard professor Sheri Berman in the current issue of Foreign Affairs explains that the real challenge facing Afghanistan is state-building, not nation-building. History suggests the job will require a long, arduous process of centralizing political power and authority. In other words, the Kabul government will need to become stronger over time.

Fareed Zakaria - Learning to work with our man in Afghanistan
perceptive essay by Barnard professor Sheri Berman in the current issue of Foreign Affairs