Full post here (a good round-up).

Not so positive:

“Violence that left some 50 dead, and a relatively low turnout in some provinces marred Afghanistan’s presidential election on Thursday.”

Hillary Clinton’s Pre-Election Statement:

“Presidential candidates have debated each other in public and travelled throughout the country to talk to voters. The Afghan media and Afghan leaders have made politics accessible to Afghans in new ways.”

True, and it’s taken a lot of courage to do so.  But can this mission overcome the vacuum in national identity, lack of education, and very weak economy (a vacuum which fills quickly with corruption, the Taliban, and poppies? ).   I’m probably observing this through the current lens of waning U.S. public support for the war, but how far is our interest in protecting from another terrorist attack and creating stability in the region from a sustainable Afghani government?

How to proceed?

CSIS has more here.

Also On This Site:  From Commonweal: Andrew Bacevich “The War We Can’t Win: Afghanistan And The Limits Of American Power”