to school. For the first time in many years, Afghans have reason to hope.
Kabul, and the land is awash in weapons. Economic development remains a dis-
tant hope.The narcotics trade--long a massive sector of the Afghan economy--
is again booming. Even the most hardened aid workers refuse to operate in
many regions, and some warn that Afghanistan is near the brink of chaos.
a bus, apparently for no reason other than their boldness in carrying an
unprecedented Afghan weapon: a voter registration card.
cating powers among ethnic communities.Yet even if his efforts are successful
and elections bring a democratic government to Afghanistan, the United States
faces some difficult choices.
sideration of the political dimension and congressional support for a substan-
tial package of assistance signaled a longer-term commitment to Afghanistan's
future. One Afghan regional official plaintively told us the country finally has
a good government. He begged the United States to keep its promise and not
abandon Afghanistan again, as it had in the 1990s.Another Afghan leader noted
that if the United States leaves,"we will lose all that we have gained."
had any effect on the scale of America's commitment to the future of
Afghanistan. The United States has largely stayed out of the central govern-
ment's struggles with dissident warlords and it has largely avoided confronting
the related problem of narcotrafficking.
their efforts in Afghanistan so far. Now the United States and the
international community should make a long-term commitment to
a secure and stable Afghanistan, in order to give the government a
reasonable opportunity to improve the life of the Afghan people.
Afghanistan must not again become a sanctuary for international
crime and terrorism. The United States and the international com-
munity should help the Afghan government extend its authority over
the country, with a strategy and nation-by-nation commitments to
achieve their objectives.