Really?  Seems that would have been a pretty good idea for Iraq also.  Wait!  They already had one and it was unacceptable.

Investigative French weekly magazine La Canard Enchaîné has obtained a leaked copy of a coded diplomatic message from French diplomat Jean-François Fitou. The message, sent on September 2nd, gives an account of a previous meeting with British Ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles and comments made by the ambassador regarding the situation in the troubled nation.

Sir Cowper-Coles is reported as saying “the current situation is bad, the security situation is getting worse, so is corruption, and the government has lost all trust.” He also cautioned that an increase in NATO forces would be counterproductive, as “the military presence is part of the problem, not the solution,” and the addition of more troops would “identify us even more clearly as an occupying force.”

In Sir Cowper-Coles’ opinion the only realistic way to maintain control over Afghanistan over the next decade would be for it to be turned over to an “acceptable dictator.” The ambassador also said NATO countries “should think of preparing our public opinion” for that outcome.