Richard Holbrooke: “The Kerry-Lugar legislation's emphasis on economic and governance challenges reinforces a key aspect to the President's…”

Afghanistan cannot go forward unless the international community, led by its greatest nation, the United States, continues to fulfill its commitments in the area, beyond combat troops.

What happened in 1989, when the Soviets left and the world, led by the United States, just turned its back on Afghanistan... is a lesson of history we cannot afford to repeat.

Why are we in Afghanistan? The short, simple answer is: 9/11, direct threats to our national security interests.

I share your astonishment that so little was done on this in the past, and I want to commend you and Senator Webb for continuing to push.