And Not to be Outdone…

While problems in Pakistan abound, Afghanistan still needs our attention. In discussing the Munich conference, Christian Brose rightly points out that “lasting security requires democratic development.” And even though Afghans are dissatisfied with their current leadership, this has not caused them to become disillusioned over democracy as a desirable form of governance. He further reiterates the need for democracy in an interesting back-and-forth with Spencer Ackerman.

Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan points us to an interesting poll demonstrating that while the U.S. forces in Afghanistan are certainly unpopular among Afghans, almost 60 percent say the Taliban poses the greatest threat (while only 8 percent reward the U.S. with that title). And an alarming 64 percent say the Afghan government should strike a deal with the Taliban, allowing their officials to hold political posts if they agree to stop the fighting.