From the BBC:
Viewpoint: Measuring success in Afghanistan

As the biggest anti-Taliban offensive in Afghanistan since 2001 continues in southern Helmand province, the challenge of how to hold on to and rebuild areas previously held by insurgents remains. Fotini Christia, a political scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has recently spent time in Afghanistan researching conflict and development, sets out the latest ideas on how to measure the success of such operations.
Link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8524137.stm

A new name to me, so here is her official bio:http://web.mit.edu/SSP/people/christ..._christia.html