USA Today front-pager and Banyan column in Economist.
From the first:
Dur Mohammad doesn't walk a straight path to the school where he teaches. He takes a meandering route and then lingers in fields along the way to make it look as if he's a farmer tending his crops.
When U.S. Marines stop by the school, Mohammad begs them to be on their way.
"We cannot stand for a couple of minutes with you," he says. "If someone sees us, we'll be in trouble."
From Banyan:
The problem of knowing what Afghans think is an obstacle more generally. When World Bank workers attempt to take surveys, they have to memorise the questions and answers, since villagers speaking to strange folk with clipboards are at risk from insurgents.
These anecdotes suggest a trust-building process unlikely to be much consummated by the summer of 2011. Obama will have to make a tough call: stick with something that's working--but slowly, or cash in the Afghan people.