lord rule. But the United States and NATO have already committed
themselves to the future of this region--wisely, as the 9/11 story
shows--and failed half-measures could be worse than useless.
pass this test. Currently, the United States and the international com-
munity envision enough support so that the central government can
build a truly national army and extend essential infrastructure and min-
imum public services to major towns and regions.The effort relies in
part on foreign civil-military teams, arranged under various national
flags. The institutional commitments of NATO and the United
Nations to these enterprises are weak. NATO member states are not
following through; some of the other states around the world that have
pledged assistance to Afghanistan are not fulfilling their pledges.
fully understaffed, and the military mission is narrowly focused on al
Qaeda and Taliban remnants in the south and southeast.The U.S. gov-
ernment can do its part if the international community decides on a
joint effort to restore the rule of law and contain rampant crime and
narcotics trafficking in this crossroads of Central Asia.
that, on the ground, one U.S. agency often cannot improvise or pitch in to help
another agency, even in small ways when a few thousand dollars could make a
great difference.
circumstances they find in the field.This should include discretionary funds for
expenditures by military units that often encounter opportunities to help the
local population.
Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism.At the
level of high policy, Saudi Arabia's leaders cooperated with American diplomatic
initiatives aimed at the Taliban or Pakistan before 9/11. At the same time, Saudi
Arabia's society was a place where al Qaeda raised money directly from indi-
viduals and through charities. It was the society that produced 15 of the 19
hijackers.