  The war in Iraq has proved to be a distraction from what's going on in Afghanistan. Important to note is that the Iraqis are watching the situation in A'stan carefully. The reason being is this; A'stan is similar in many respects (however, starkly different in some) to Iraq. Reasons A'stan and Iraq are similar: Removed two regimes from power <>Working to create democratic governments and 'free' the people<> <>Election processes are going to be quite similar in both countries.<> <>Both processes will prove to be difficult Reasons A'stan and Iraq are different: A'stan had broad international support, Iraq did not.
Iraq was invaded pre-emptively and unilaterally. We had a plan in A'stan, we did not and still do not have a clear and viable plan for Iraq. We had a clear and defined reason for invading A'stan. The basis for war has changed several times and all but one justification have been proved to be false for invading Iraq. We have widespread support in A'stan. Support in Iraq is, well, lets just say liking the US not very popular, unless you live in Kirkuk, and even that is shaky.
These are only a hand full of differences. We have been largely successful with A'stan, militarily and in working with the local people. In Iraq, we encountered fierce resistance and are now fighting a growing and powerful insurgency. One large problem the US faces is convincing the people of A'stan and namely Iraq that their new governments are credible and their leaders are not just puppets.
Two examples in particular stick out in my mined. These two are the President of A'stan, Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Karzai was once a supporter of the Taliban, and is seen as a puppet controlled by the US gov't. Allawi is seen as an outsider as he was in exile during Saddam's brutal rule over Iraq. Lets try to make this simple. You have lived through Saddam's Iraq, then through the toppling of Saddam's regime, the transfer of 'soverneigty', through the insurgency, and now you have the chance to have a say in how your country is run, (relatively speaking, I'm a bit skeptical of the amount of power the new gov't actually affords) or so you think.
Those positions are given to exiles instead, appointed by the US no less. So now someone who left the country during Saddam's regime has now come back to govern you. Doesn't seem fair sense you lived through the entire situation. So in thie sense many do not feel Iyad Allawi or the host of other exiles currently in the new gov't have the credentials to govern Iraq.
Back in A'stan the Taliban and al-Qaida are strong in the south and southeast. This is where the Taliban movement arose in the early 90s, so naturally their base of support is still held largely in the south. The situation needs to be watched carefully not only by Iraqis but by the citizens of the US. We need to demand that A'stan is given all of the funds and resources it needs (i.e, troops, food, money, etc. ) in ensuring that A'stan does not fail. Failure in that country is not an option (like its ever been). The remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaida are trying their best to disrupt the election process. And recently a large aid organization has left the country due to its instability. A'stan is far better off than Iraq, but the situation needs to be watched carefully and Americans and the rest of the world need to do their job and demand that A'stan is not lost in the wake of Iraq. -Nick 
