Victory then peace

NATO, through ISAF and the PRTs are doing great things in Afghanistan--building physical infrastructure, educating the population, providing security, helping Afghans eliminate poppy cultivation, encouraging tribal reconciliation, etc. It must keep up the work lest another Taliban regime gain control again. The damaging consequences of a failed Afghan state are too real.

I'm afraid that the current conflict is not about setting up a stable democracy in Afghanistan, its actually about making sure that something worse (Taliban Rule) is not set up. The problem is the same in Iraq, you can't set up governments until the fight is won, it doesn't work. What needs to be done in both countries is that TOTAL military rule needs to be established, then power handed back. This can only be done when the insurgents are COMPLETELY defeated. Victory, then peace.