There [in Afghanistan] Is Also A Growing

President Obama Has Said That Our Aspirations Should Be Realistic. We Are Not Going To Turn One Of The Poorest Countries In The World, That Was Plunged Into 30 Years Of War, Into An Advanced, Industrialized, Western-style Democracy. What We Want To Achieve Is Afghanistan's Capacity To Secure And Govern Itself.

The Progress In Iraq Is Still Fragile. And It Could Still Be Reversed. Iraq Still Faces Innumerable Challenges, And They Will Be Evident During What Will Likely Be A Difficult Process As The Newly Elected Council Of Representatives Selects The Next Prime Minister, President, And Speaker Of The Council.

The Islamic State Fighters In Mosul Are Dead Men Walking And I Think They Increasingly Know It.

Afghanistan Has Other Enormous Challenges As Well, Including A Political System That Is Still Very Much Developing, Although There Has Been Some Progress In The Past Several Years.

In Afghanistan You Are Not Rebuilding, You Are Building. There Is Very Limited Infrastructure And Extreme Terrain, With Deserts In The South And Mountains So High In Some Areas That Helicopters Don't Even Fly Well At A Certain Altitude Because The Air Becomes So Thin. The Country Has A Serious Problem Of Illiteracy, Especially After So Many Years Of War And Taliban Rule.