James B. Cunningham: “We are in a long-term competition with China over influence in the world.”

I would--I would think it is important to get to a cease-fire as quickly as possible, particularly given the ongoing campaign against Afghan civilians being waged by the Taliban.

I do not think there is a strategy of attrition or withdrawal that will work in any timeframe that we would want to see, certainly.

The strategic partnership and the successful NATO summit in Chicago and the Tokyo conference send a clear message to the Afghan people and to the region that Afghanistan will have the support of the international community and of the…

But they will be--I think they will be successful in establishing--reestablishing a legitimate political authority in Afghanistan as a result of the exercise of the voting franchise by the Afghan people.