Mr Moradian, Afghanistan needs two things: F-16s and a king

Davood Moradian is "the director-general of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies and former chief of programmes in President Hamid Karzai's office and chief policy adviser to Afghanistan's ministry of foreign affairs." 

Yesterday Al Jazeera published his op-ed, titled Afghanistan political crisis: Entitlement vs democracy, in which he argues "Only legitimate, effective and sustainable politics can untangle the country from its multitude of challenges."  

Mr Moradian's argument hits all the right notes for an alternate universe in which time is no object. But the reality of this universe impinges in an August 13 Washington Post report, bluntly headlined, Young people don’t see a future in Afghanistan, so they’re leaving. 

By any which way Afghanistan's government must quickly staunch its brain drain, else the country will only be left with the people most likely to reject democracy and the politics that goes with it.

So it's a matter of priorities. At all costs security must be established fast. Having proven themselves to be loco I would no longer try to depend on the United States and its NATO allies to help the ANA pacify the Taliban.

What to do? I would ring up the Russian General Staff and say, "Tell us what to do,' then do everything they say. Fast.

I would also scare up a king and install him in power at the point of a gun if necessary. Again -- fast.

And of course they don't have to be F-16s, just ones approximating those U.S. combat aircraft, and don't be picky; any country that is willing to loan the money, sell and train, take the deal. 

As to complaints and threats from the U.S. -- never wise to argue with people who are loco in the coco. To everything, keep nodding and saying, 'Yes boss,' but proceed to save yourselves.   

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