The Pentagon's deep thinkers are divided over how to deal with our Afghan allies; the Northern Alliance. Some Pentagon planners are frustrated that the Northern Alliance acts like a band of warriors instead of a field army (because it IS a band of warriors rather than a field Army). This has led the Pentagon to believe that the US must win the war without counting on the Northern Alliance to do much more than occupy targets wrecked by US bombs. Another, minority, school of thought believes that we can work with the warrior way of fighting if we simply adapt our methods to the Afghan customs.--Stephen V Cole