The eastern border of Afghanistan butts sharply up against Pakistan, but the exchange of ideals and extremism seems almost fluid between the two countries especially in the border tribal lands. Where Afghanistan has denied its girls education under the Taliban regime, most of Pakistan has -- if not directly supported it--at least allowed its existence. With the presence of Taliban militants increasing, especially along the border regions, that is quickly changing.

Many people have questioned our tactics in this ongoing war against such a fluid enemy whose tentacles are far-reaching and expanding despite our concerted efforts. Many have wondered at the affect more humanitarian aid would bring to a people who often resort to the strictest islamic extremism because nothing else has given them hope. Education is key to this effort to giving the people - whether Iraqi, Afghani or Pakistani--a way to live honorably and progressively. It is also one of the main targets which the Taliban want to close down. Education for girls has seen the brunt of it. The New York Times ran in incredible short documentary on the plight of these school girls in the Swat region of Pakistan. It is entitled "Class Dismissed in Swat Valley"

Over 50,000 girls in this little valley in northwestern Pakistan have been forced to quit their education. Fearing for the safety of their families and their own lives, school authorities have been threatened into shutting the doors of schools struggling to bring a country's young hope and a brighter future. Girls still risking it have been found mauled, burned with acid, and beheaded. The Pakistan government allows education for girls, but in this and other areas, their rule is no match for the Taliban presence in the towns and surrounding villages and the demands of obedience that go out every night on the FM radio.

The thing that strikes me so much is the intense desire to learn these children have. Looking around them, they know there is more to life than incessant fighting. The girls want to make a difference just as much as the boys. They envision themselves as female doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers. They have hopes and dreams and now are stowed away, afraid to come out of their gated dirt yards. The Taliban shows no mercy and every day those who were too interested in "social causes" are found in the town square beheaded, beaten, or worse. The fight to learn is unreal in these children. They are not happy with complacency. They want more and when all around them is unrest and hopelessness, their optimism and determination are hopefully the needed drops in a swelling tide for change.

Greg Mortenson was a wellknown mountain climber attempting to summit the treacherous K2 mountain in the Hindu Kush. His book, "Three Cups of Tea" is an inspiring account of how he stumbled into this Pakistani village lost, malnourished, and near death. The Balti people brought him back to strength and in the process, Mortenson gained an incredible understanding and appreciation for the hearty mountain people whose own survival was barely scraped from the rough existence on one of the world's tallest mountain ranges foothills. Unable to hire a full time teacher or build a school, the children of Korphe studied outside in the cold, often by themselves, determinedly scratching out multiplication tables in the dirt with a stick.

Mortenson described their dogged determination: "Can you imagine a fourth-grade class in America, alone, without a teacher, sitting there quietly and working on their lessons? I felt like my hear was being torn out. There was a fierceness in their desire to learn, despite how mightily everything was stacked against them." With that experience burned in his memory, Mortenson returned to America to fulfill his promise to build the children of Korphe a school. Over the next decade , Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools --especially for girls--in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban.

If one man can make such a difference, how can we as a nation not succeed in our endeavor to bring not just peace, but a better way of life to a people and a land that so desperately wants it?

Everyone is talking about the expected 30,000 troop surge to Afghanistan. Many of those troops are already there or are en route--my husband's base no exception. The real question remains though, what is this relatively small number of increased ground power really going to do? The country-side remains the real threat and most agree the Taliban is growing faster than we can force them out. The big cities remain in NATO's control, however the vast majority of the population live in tiny villages scattered like toothpicks on a bare kitchen floor. A nightmare of a situation to take control of and then to keep that control.

Anne Applebaum in her Op-Ed Column of the Washington Post argues that the only "surge" that will last is if the Afghan army itself is enlarged to where it is able to have a real and visible presence in the whole of the country. Right now its some 80,000 soldiers are hardly that. I am inclined to agree, as well, with her notion of the Afghan military being one of the few solutions to unifying a country who's tribes, dialects, and ethnicities are mind-bogglingly numerous. National identity is crucial to instill in these soldiers who come together for a common cause--one they can believe in and have a real hand in creating--and who can also instill that feeling in their fellow country-men.

The Allied troops who are there are brave, loyal and most have the best intentions. We are not, however, Afghani and are not privy to a complete understanding of an exceptionally unique civilization who has withstood a surprising number of invaders. So the point is this: Our ability to enable the Afghans to not only defend their country themselves, but to create national identity in which it is possible to defend it, is undeniably crucial to our success in this war against terrorism. This surge of troops must have the goal of not just seeking out the Taliban or providing support, but also for helping to create an institution in Afghanistan of which their own people can admire, respect and ultimately trust.

The timetable for this will not be indefinite. Already our support is waning and the number of innocent civilians caught in the cross-fire increasing. In another article in the Washington Post, author John F. Kerry said, "We shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that we are in anything but a race against time in a region suspicious of foreign footprints...Our goal has never been to dominate Afghanistan but, rather, to eliminate al-Qaeda's haven and to empower Afghans to govern their country in line with their best interests and our national security."

We must win the battle of the support of the Afghani people, specifically through training their military, to ensure our success over the Taliban. And we must win them over soon.