The U.S. exit strategy in Afghanistan

Afghan demonstrators help a wounded man
Afghan demonstrators help a wounded man during a protest against Koran desecration in Mihtarlam, capital of Laghman province, east of Kabul on February 25, 2012. At least four people were killed in violent demonstrations against the burning of the Islamic holy book , including an attack on a United Nations compound, taking the five day death toll from the protests to 28.
WASEEM NIKZAD/AFP/Getty Images

After the deadly riots following last month's Koran burnings in Afghanistan, President Obama has made it clear that he has no plans to keep U.S. troops in the country longer than necessary.

But the continued violence could make it harder for the administration to claim to have made enough progress with the killing of Osama bin Laden to leave the country, said Seth Jones, a senior political consultant at Rand Corporation in an interview with Bloomberg.

"It makes it much more difficult to sell that argument with events like the rioting and instability and then suicide attacks that have all come together," Jones told Bloomberg.

How would Afghanistan fare under UN control? Jones joins The Daily Circuit Thursday to talk about what the recent developments mean for U.S. foreign policy.

KERRI'S TAKEAWAY

Al Qaeda is strengthening in Afghanistan and Pakistan will be a major foreign policy problem as we draw down there.

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