Exit plan already?

In a recent article by BBC News, coverage was focused on the fact that President Obama mentioned in an interview about his new strategy in Afghanistan that, "There's got to be an exit strategy. There's got to be a sense that this is not a perpetual drift."

I believe that President Obama was speaking about the amount of troops currently in Afghanistan, and not about the American influence. The American influence is something that should remain long after the soldiers have left. By American influence I am referring to the businesses and diplomats and NGOs that will remain to help build and maintain the country, just as there are these people and organizations in every modern country.

I am not speaking about politics. There should be no more influence on the Afghan government than the United States has on any free country in the Western World.

It is crucial that the US does not allow the country to fall into disarray as it did in the 1980s when the Russians left the country. If it does, the world will be dealing with the same situation as was dealt with when the US invaded Afghanistan in 2002.