I personally am opposed to UN forces occupying Afghanistan. The old days were much simpler - installing a new government by force.

The UN occupation may put a global face on the effort but let's be honest - the US is taking the Taliban out and we will replace them with whatever group appeals to us as the rightful and best replacement.

UN forces are always targets. They are underequipped militarily and hampered humongously by UN procedures for self-defense.

Casualties from multinational peacekeeping forces always dishearten the nation(s) who suffered the loss and make that nation's populace seek quick resolution and extraction.

US forces are better equipped and have the morale to go the distance.

They also have capability for quick, demolishing, punitive action against snipers, and other groups who will pop up inevitably.

The Northern Alliance and Unity Front are anything but. With the mix of warlords and folks who are naturally mercenary in their outlook - this group is mercurial and unstable.

The Afghan King is probably the US best choice, as it links the people to their past and can be suitably engineered into a PR campaign as 'the long awaited return of legitimate government' in Afghanistan.

However, there will be factions in the region who will attempt coups, assassinations, etc. For this reason, in this region, the US must train, equip and supply a force capable of defending the newly installed government and maintaining it for a number of years at the least.

A person I respect highly once told me, "The UN is only as weak or strong as its member nations"

In this case the UN's strength comes almost solely from the US and to a much lesser degree Russia and China.

It's weakness is the countless tiny nations with dictatorships, and the numerous small socialist nations, which act to serve as the thorn in the side of the big democratic nations - primarily the US.

I opt for keeping the UN at arm's length on this one - keeping them informed, smiling at them politely, but little more.

Best wishes,

SDAI-Tech1