The US Timetable Isn't Right for Afghanistan‎ - WSJ

During Barack Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan last weekend—his first since taking office—he said that American soldiers were fighting to help Afghans "forge a hard-won peace" and that the military operation was essential to "keep America safe and secure."

But his vision contains a potentially fatal flaw. The highly optimistic time-frame Mr. Obama has set for the completion of the mission could seriously undermine the counterinsurgency strategy currently implemented by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander of NATO troops.

But senior Western policy makers I interviewed in Kabul—including officials responsible for prosecuting the NATO military campaign—have serious reservations about Mr. Obama's deadline.

Despite the billions of dollars Washington is spending on training a new cadre of police and civil servants, these Afghans are still many years away from having the ability to run the country effectively.

"There is a massive disconnect between the pace of military operations and that of the reconstruction program. And for the NATO mission to succeed they need to be working in harmony, rather than in the disjointed fashion that currently prevails."

The US Timetable Isn't Right for Afghanistan‎ - wall street Jornal
Harvesting Democracy in Afghanistan - TIME