FOSTER: But despite the tough talk, many questions remain over America's exit strategy from Afghanistan.

To discuss some of those points, I'm joined from Washington by Stephen Flanagan.

He is the senior vice president of the Center for Strategic & International Studies and a former State
Department official.

Thank you so much for joining us.

How did you interpret Joe Biden's comments there?

STEPHEN FLANAGAN, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC &
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Well, I think the administration has wanted to make clear all along that there is
a timetable, that there has to be some targets to have a phased transition to an Afghan lead for providing
for security of their own country.

And what the administration wants to see is a -- is a strong commitment from allies to enhance the
training and -- and the preparation of the Afghan forces to take on that role and also for the Afghan
government to realize that they can't count on the international community indefinitely to continue to
provide for the security of their country.

FOSTER: When I spoke to the head of NATO yesterday, he was very clear that American troops aren't
pulling out of Afghanistan immediately.

But that's the pressure on Obama, isn't it?

FLANAGAN: No, the -- I mean I think what the -- what the alliance is expected to agree to tomorrow is a --
a phased transition to what's called a conditions-based transfer of authority for Afghan lead in providing
for security. And that would begun the initial phase is -- or the hope is that if the training is going well
enough, the initial phases of that drawdown, of that transfer, province by province, would begin some
time early next year, taking place and unfolding over -- over a period up to 2014.

But, also, the senior civilian rep of NATO in Afghanistan yesterday noted that that doesn't mean NATO,
then, is fully disengaged. NATO could still be there, an over the horizon presence. It could still be providing
some kind of advice and training support to the Afghan forces even after 2015.

FOSTER: So the same number of troops will be there next year as in the year after, they're just going to
change their role?

They're handing power over?

FLANAGAN: Well, no, they would -- there could be some withdrawals. What the Obama administration
has suggested is that there will be some U.S. withdrawals beginning in July of 2011. And I know that
another -- other forces bill begin. Some of them are on strict timetables, for example, the Canadians
would.

But, now, the Canadians are going to do exactly what you just said, they're going to roll over upwards of
750 of their forces to -- from an active combat role in the southern part of Afghanistan to the training
mission. So that was a big plus because that filled a gap that the head of the NATO training mission had
identified existed until the Canadians made that decision.

FOSTER: But that's a tiny, tiny thing compared to the number of American troops there. The concern is,
isn't it, that there -- the Taliban is just waiting for the Americans to leave, at which point they -- they start
their insurgency again?

FLANAGAN: Well, but -- but again, it's not -- it's not all the Americans' lead. It's some withdrawals of
American forces. The -- the goal is to be. But again, General Petraeus and other leaders of -- of the United
States government have made clear that it's going to be based on conditions, that it's not going to be
precipitous. And what the real goal here, though, as I said, is to -- is to energize the training efforts, to
continue the progress that has been made.

And there has been remarkable progress made, even in just the last year, in training the Afghan security
forces, both the army and less -- less effective with some of the police. But still some real progress. And --
and there are some areas where the Afghans are doing very well.

FOSTER: OK, Stephen Flanagan, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us, sir, from Washington, DC.

Well, still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, Iraq's new urban battle -- the ambitious plan to turn the
most anguished road in the world into the most beautiful.

And as the cholera epidemic spreads, so, too, the anger against U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti.