When it comes to Afghanistan, what, exactly, is the point?

More than nine years into the war in Afghanistan, there doesn't seem to be a lot that's good to report.

From every conceivable angle, things are a mess – starting with the country's attempts at democracy. Officials have now postponed announcing the results of last month's parliamentary elections because of widespread suspected fraud. An election panel spokesman said Monday that about 10 percent of votes have been disqualified because of the suspected fraud.

The New York Times reported that the fraud included everything from stuffing the ballot box to citizens being forced to cast their votes at gunpoint to election officials and security forces working in cahoots with corrupt candidates. Lovely.

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