If U.S. Support Is Withdrawn What Will Happen To Afghanistan?

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. William Cornachio, center, explains procedures for using mortars to an Afghan soldier on Forward Operating Base Delaram II in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2013. Cornachio, a member of Security Force Assistance Advisor Team, is assigned to an Afghan army unit. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paul Peterson

How Would Afghanistan Look Without The United States' Support? -- NBC

FOB FENTY, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan — You get a sense of what might happen if U.S. troops suddenly left Afghanistan while sitting in a joint U.S.-Afghan military operations room.

On one side are uniformed American advisers. They sit in front of flat-screen monitors displaying American intelligence gathered from around the world. Their desks are covered with satellite maps, and telephones and computers are encrypted for classified communications.

On the other side of the room, a dozen Afghan soldiers it at desks without computers. They take calls on cellphones and write down what they hear on whiteboards. A television in the middle of the room plays an Indian sitcom.

If the Americans suddenly left for good, would the Afghans be left with little more than cellphone bills and marker-stained fingers

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My Comment: I am pessimistic when it comes to Afghanistan. Even if the U.S. soldiers leave .... the flow of money from the west will still continue but via through contractors .... and the Afghans know that. The key is to not only withdraw but to also cut the flow of money .... that is when everyone will notice. But the political will to do that is completely absent in the White House and elsewhere.