To Be or Not to Be in Afghanistan?

The Heads of State and Heads of Government meeting at the NATO Summit in Lisbon on Saturday took the decision to cease its combat role in Afghanistan in 2014, if security permits, and provide military training henceforth. Responsibility for security is to be passed on progressively to Afghan forces, with complete control returned to the country by the end of that year, according to the wishes of Afghan president Hamid Karzai. However, fundamental questions remain unanswered: