Afghanistan Melf''s solution.

This is a country that has never been United. They haven't had central government, but governed with local councils and warlord fiefdoms. Some national councils I believe once in a while.

So our concept of establishing a national gov just gives a essentially corrupt ruling class an enormous opportunity for corruption and profit and to rip us off.

Our dilemma is if we withdraw, women will be oppressed, Taliban will establish a Radical government and we will have walked out on our promises to the Afghan people.

I don't think we can extinguish the Taliban movement, it is more natural to the Afghans than our democracy. Bush is probably right, peoples prefer democracy, but do they prefer it with their lives? Probably not in most countries, certainly probably not in Afghanistan.

As much as I hate to say it, I think we need to try to split Afghanistan into the northern alliance and the rest, Give everyone the opportunity to join the northern alliance, relocate, Protect the Northern alliance and finance them, and turn the rest over to Taliban.