The other day as I flew over the Arghandab district of Kandahar Province, I looked down at the overgrown, jumbles of trees, and thought "are those orchards? Almonds and Pomegranates? What a mess, I wonder why they don't prune their trees..."

Later, standing on the roof of the District Center overlooking the valley a rep from the department of agriculture described the very problem, solutions being worked, etc. Currently the orchards become a haven for insurgents, safe from prying eyes. His goal is to get them pruned, and to introduce the practice of painting the trunks white. Not only does it look more orderly, but it denies much of the overhead cover, and provides a contrast at ground level that makes it much harder to hide within. It also makes for more productive orchards.

Will introducing dozens of additional hardworking civilian experts into Afghanistan make a difference? Certainly. Will they cure the disease of poor governance that gives rise to insurgency? Of that I am less optimistic.

We are in the trap of if we just work harder we can make this go away. Perhaps. Far better to work smarter.

In the old days, District governors controlled a network that took money from the people and brought it up to their level, where they kept much and also used much to grease the system of governance that has functioned here forever. It does not produce a lot of services, but not a lot of services are required either.

Now we have extended this Afghan Pyramid scheme all the way up to Kabul. Every district Governor, Police Chief, etc is appointed by a patron in Kabul, and that patron must receive his payments for that appointment. No longer does the money rise to the District level and sprinkle about. It now rises to the national level and disappears. This is not better.

We have helped to create an official government in our image, but have dropped it into Afghanistan. The Afghan people don't need an "official" government; they need a "Legitimate" government. Pause and ponder that thought. It is a critical one. The Afghan people, all people, need a "legitimate" government. That is one that they see as being of, by and for them. One that has a source they recognize. What others think is moot beyond words.

Less is more; more is less. I've yet to see, hear, or read anything that would dissuade me from the strong belief that the best thing the West can do here is simply demand that a full-fledged Loya Jirga with representatives for all the major Afghan stake holders present be called. Create the environment that allows it to happen, and then simply accept the results that come from it.

Afghanistan will not become a sanctuary for AQ, our impressive collection and punishment capabilities will assure that. Afghanistan was simply a convenient backwater for AQ to use. There are other backwaters where they will draw less attention than here. We can then shift our focus back to our actual mission. Remember? To Defeat AQ to protect the homelands. This TB insurgency is a sideshow, an overwhelming supporting effort that has pushed the main effort into the wings somewhere.

We can "win" here. We can help end this insurgency too. But more military or civilian effort working harder is not the smart way to get there. The smart way is to focus first on creating more legitimacy of government on Afghan terms, not Western terms; and then build from there. Without that foundation of legitimacy, history does not offer good odds for quick success.