"Drawing partly on personal experiences, O'Hanlon and Sherjan outline the tactics being used to protect the Afghan population and defeat the insurgents. They discuss ongoing efforts to reform the Afghan policy, to run a better prison system for detainees, to enlist the help of more of Afghanistan's tribes, and to attack corruption. They also discuss the Afghan resistance, including an explanation of how the Taliban mounted a comeback and what it will take to defeat them. The authors also seek to demolish common myths about Afghanistan, such as the notion that somehow its people hate foreigners. And they explain how to use metrics, such as those in the Brookings Afghanistan Index, to determine if the new strategy is succeeding in the course of 2010 and 2011. Included are policy suggestions to further increase the size and capabilities of the Afghan army and police, to facilitate Afghan businesses' involvement in economic recovery, to expand the role of other Muslim nations in the effort, and to create a strong international aid coordinator as a civilian counterpart to NATO's military leader." Publisher's description

Includes index. Includes maps of: Middle East and Asia; Afghan Provinces and Major Cities; Major Roads in Afghanistan; Ethnolinguistic Groups in Afghanistan; Afghanistan and Its Neighbors; Northern Region of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border; Central Region of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border; Southern Region of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border; Economic Activity and Land Use in Afghanistan.

Foreword / Bruce Riedel -- Introduction -- The rise, fall, and resurgence of the Taliban -- The strategy -- Responding to the critics -- Measuring progress-and figuring out an exit plan -- Improving the strategy -- Appendix : excerpts from Brookings Afghanistan Index: Tracking Variables and of Reconstruction and Security in Post-9/11 Afghanistan.