The Afghan War: Nine Years On
"It's now nine years since the beginning of the Afghan war, and the United States and its allies have little to show for the effort," commented Asia Society Executive Vice President Jamie Metzl, who served as an election observer in Afghanistan last year.
Metzl said that despite coalition attempts to drive Al Qaeda out of Aghanistan, the organization has found a safe haven in neighboring Pakistan.
"The Afghan Taliban looked defeated for a while but are now strengthening and likely to play a leadership role in some future version of Afghanistan. The Afghan government, created after the invasion, has proven corrupt and ineffective and incapable of winning over the population."
Although Afghanistan was a relatively easy war to start, invaded just under a month after the attacks on September 11, 2001, getting out will be the hard part.
"Ten months away from President Obama's self-imposed date for beginning the withdrawal of troops, the chances of pulling a rabbit out of the Afghan hat are seeming extremely remote," Metzl said.
Despite the Afghan war's seeming unpopularity, is President Obama likely to pull out troops from Afghanistan as promised? Have your say below: