In a move that is another example of the new U.S. administration's optimistic approach to international relations, President Barack Obama has published Nowruz greetings to the people of Iran. The video will no doubt be a source of heated discussions in some circles, as anti-Iranian sentiments are still strong after years of nuclear fearmongering and the lack of understanding of how a nation's leader does not always represent the general attitude of the people towards the U.S.

Fareed Zakaria points out that Coalition Forces have to work hard to prevent creating "accidental guerillas", in a conflict that seems to be going much less well than many think. However, he believes that the war in Afghanistan is not a "quagmire", and that elements of counterinsurgency warfare can be applied. As many others do, he recognizes the problems with the current Afghan government, and offers solutions to strengthen the credibility of the administration as well as to effectively deploy troops to the country.