Next US steps in Afghanistan

This is a new plea from Secretary Rice as she travels in Australia. She said Pakistan does need to do more against militants in their territory. Rice’s words were meant to reach the ears of Pakistan’s new Prime Minister, who’s due to meet with President Bush next week in Washington. Pakistan wants to make progress in the region but doesn’t want to be seen as doing the US’s bidding, says this analyst, who also says the US is in a tough position on this issue. The other question for the US is whether to put more troops in Afghanistan. Afghanistan experts say a new strategy is needed for the region, in addition to new troops. Afghans are increasingly disillusioned with the Karzai sgovernment, which is seen as corrupt, and that’s seen as fodder for the insurgency. This analyst thinks the US is moving towards a new strategy in Afghanistan, due to learning from experiences in Iraq.