Experts in the fields of history, strategy, international relations, anthropology, ethics, and mass communications asses the prospects for peace and security in Afghanistan; they debate what would best serve US interests, and to provide a range of policy options for US leaders to consider in 2012 and beyond.

Understanding the Afghan challenge / Hy Rothstein and John Arquilla -- A familiar Western experience in ancient Afghanistan / Victor Davis Hanson -- Afghan paradoxes / Thomas Barfield -- America's longest war / Hy Rothstein -- A case for withdrawal / Andrew J. Bacevich -- A case for staying the course / Frederick W. Kagan -- Afghanistan : the third way -- Edward N. Luttwak -- Beyond victory and defeat / Scott Sigmund Gartner and Leo Blanken -- The ethics of exit : moral obligation in the Afghan endgame / Russell Muirhead -- Shaping strategic communication / Robert Reilly -- Civil and uncivil society / Jade I. Rodriguez & Rebecca Lorentz -- Conclusion : Assessing the strategic alternatives / John Arquilla and Hy Rothstein.