There is a lot space being devoted to Afghanistan in ther media and whether President Obama's strategy will lead to success. The aim seems to be to root out all taliban, train Afghans into effective army and police forces and encourage the formation of a democratic government without the levels of corruption as at present. Unfortunately all this planning is based on the assumption that Afghans can be civilised into a society based on democracy, rule of law and loyalty to the nation which overrides loyalty to clan and family. The evidence is to the contrary. These are a brutal, narrow minded people used to eking out a living from dirt and living like prehistoric savages would have done. Civilisations ( Persian, Indian, Chinese ) have grown up around them but they have managed to retain their illiterate savagery. The famous Afghan resilience is also born out of this lack of humanity. The best bet for the Americans would be to revive the Northern Alliance and support them with air power. The aim will not be to build a nation state but to bring about a standoff which will prevent planning and execution of further terrorist attacks. This is the only way Nato forces will be able to reduce casualties.