With the signing of this deal, the US is now committed to assisting the Afghans with their security for the next decade. New York Times: The agreement - sweeping by design, with few details to bog down negotiators - puts down in writing for the first time the nature of the relationship the United States will have with Afghanistan once the bulk of American troops go home. It is meant to reassure the Afghan people that the United States will not abandon them, to warn the Taliban not to assume that they can wait out the West, and to send a message to Pakistan, which American officials believe has been hedging its bets in the belief that an American departure would leave the Taliban in charge. "This is the proof in the pudding that we intend to be there," one United States official said Sunday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The agreement came despite a series of setbacks in Afghan-American relations, including the...(Read Full Post)