Jmm's comments is so easy to minimize in the Giterdun spirit.

"Most particularly, what do you do with an incompetent (corrupt, etc.) HN government ?"

Where does the "What we do" fit in vs. the "What they do and don't do.

I hate to play tough love in this thing, but once we enter a landscape we tend do either dominate it or displace others.

The Lansing Michigan problem is not whether we could get elected---we show up with big guns. It is whether we could wisely administer after dominating.

In Iraq, I knew two ag guy in the same PRT. One was the master of getting DoS grants to send Iraqis to Jordan to learn how to farm. Same guys over and over again, all part of the same click of Tikrit "farmers." Of course, he spent weeks each year escorting them to the courses. A genuine expert on Jordan's nightlife and attractions.

The other was the actual dry land farming expert who spent his time out in the field, mostly in and around Tuz Khormatu. He would spend a dime of US money, and believed in kicking and prodding the actual large farm owners into gear, and helping where he could to help the locals to arrange irrigation system repairs, etc..., through their local to provincial gov structure. He also tried to serve as an effective sounding board for their decisions, and, when it fit in, an advisor on how to do things better. (He was always ordering ag books, old and new, from Amazon (on his own nickel)).

The one was very well thought of by DoS, continued for an extra tour, and by now, is probably already in Afghanistan arranging junkets to Thailand to teach locals how to raise hot peppers. The other quit in disgust, and probably would never have been extended anyway. He is very happy back home in AZ.

(In fairness, some of that provincial effort for Tuz was only accomplished through our D-9's but the point was they used their government to get it done (Always nice to have a DivEng and construction battalions at your back!).

The basic give them fish problem.

Custis. I assume you are like my dry land farmer friend, but, unlike him, the US is about to say: Do it now, and Do it fast!

The temptation to do it fast and wrong is ever present, but, I believe will be more so in 2010 Afghanistan.

Good luck, and stay safe. Might see you there if I can find a billet that I believe will allow me to do some good (not just cash in hours).

Steve