jim dobbins is someone who has forht us all now, going on at least 15 years, for how we need to think about peace and security and that u.s. involvement. the fact that you have stepped back into this role , there could not be a better person and a better perspective. i want to acknowledge bill taylor, who i saw walking in. bill is also -- i met bill first in afghanistan in 2002. he remains to be one of the best examples of a diplomat and a boss that i have ever had. when i traveled to afghanistan ago,he first time 21 years i would come to witness what i believe is one of the greatest foreign-policy mistakes that our country has ever made. that was the abandonment of --hanistan and the gradual or sometimes not gradual -- destruction to afghanistan, its communities, its infrastructure, its relationships with its neighbors, that we are still climbing out of today. have come over my career, watched conflict unfold slowly, and development unfold slowly. conflict is much more efficient. it costs a lot less to perpetrate. decades of understanding that were built up between communities in afg

[applause] i will mention ambassador jim warlick and ambassador dobbins who did a great job. so we have a great agreement in place. what is the future with that agreement? it will be difficult. afghanistan faces challenges and, all of us are aware of those challenges but i think the odds are very much in favor of success with the bsa in place. will it be in place? the afghan people have spoken. the afghan presidential candidates, a number of whom i spoke to in kabul when i was there are all in favor of signing the bsa i think it's a virtual certainty the bsa will be signed. the issue whether president karzai signs it or not in my view is irrelevant. we need to plan on effectively him not signing it and move forward. i truly hope that any of the costs ambassador dobbins said might occur if there is delay might be effected by the great planning capacity our agencies have. i don't think there is any need for any particular cost as long as we keep our eye on the long game as is the topic of this panel. in turning to this topic of the afghan security forces which i not going to be

the panel will include four experts including jim dobbins' predecessor. it will be moderated by andrew wilder who heads the center for south and central asia here at the u.s. institute of peace. the second panel will be on the future of media in afghanistan. again, four distinguished david as chaired by moderator from voices of america. we hope that you can conclude from today's program that afghanistan still matters to the united states. america's national security therest are best served by emergence of a stable and prosperous afghanistan. this objective can still be and what has been accomplished in afghanistan over the last decade offers some grounds for optimism that we can achieve this objective. afghanistan has made great progress over the last 12 years in health, education, women's rights and economic development. you will hear about that today in these remarks. you will also hear about the political progress that the afghan people have made. a presidential election is scheduled for this coming april 5. for the first time, there is the will be tha

here and love in their product this institution are thrilled with you stepping up to do that and jim dobbinsus all now going on and i won't say how long but at least about 15 years about how we need to think about peace and security in the u.s. involvement. so the fact that you have stepped back into this role, there couldn't be a better person and a better present the the -- perspective. bill is also, i met bill in afghanistan in 2002 and he remains to me one of the best examples of a diplomat and it was that i have ever had. .. and conflict is much more efficient, and it costs actually a lot less to perpetrate. decades of understanding that were built up between communities in afghanistan, for example, in the 50 years preceding the soviet invasion, and the gradual emergence of democratic politics were undermined severely and rapidly but a few massacres that we are still talking about today. electricity grids that took years and billions of dollars to build undermined by cutting down a few lines, knocking down goals. -- polls. but paradoxically conflict imposes a far, far greater cost. if w