Is it a mistake to withdraw from Afghanistan?

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21565212-much-has-gone-wrong-afghanistan-progress-has-been-made-should-not-be-thrown

    Afghanistan is a tired issue for the American public and their representatives in Congress.  The author of this Economist article published yesterday makes the case that Afghanistan, while fraught with difficulty, is not a lost cause and withdrawing Western troops at this stage could mean the difference between a stable transition to democracy and political collapse.  He points to the improving security situation, wider access to social media and the press as measures of potential victory in Afghanistan. The author insists that President Karzai reform the electoral system and not stand in for another term in order to add legitimacy to the democratic government of Afghanistan.  I've noticed that the Economist has often chafed at the idea of early withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Occupying a nation with such a strong national and religious identity is certainly a difficult, perhaps impossible task.  The internal instability of the Afghan security forces and the inevitable involvement of Pakistan and Iran in funding the instability will certainly spell a dismal future for democratic Afghanistan.  Time will tell, though withdrawal after so much sacrifice does seem a terrible waste.  If the situation is left as it is, the progress bought by 11 years of bloodshed and massive amounts of Western funding may be undone in a matter of weeks when Western troops withdraw.

Andrew DuBois