The Afghan national army: unwarranted hope?

Billions of dollars have been spent in training, mentoring and equipping a new Afghan army which is representative of Afghanistan's diverse ethnic groups and operates in the nation's interests. Yet, at the end of 2009, the Afghan Army is beset by a host of problems including widespread illiteracy, ethnic rivalries, drug use and poor combat effectiveness. Respected Afghan expert Antonio Giustozzi analyses what has gone wrong and suggests that a new model may be the only way forward.