Aims of the London conference on Afghanistan

"They say it is not about withdrawal - the word is said to sound weak and to frighten the Afghan and Pakistani governments.

But it looks as if the London conference on Afghanistan is partly about just that, wrapped up in policies about "transferring primacy" to Afghan forces and "talking to the Taliban".

It is about giving Western public opinion the confidence that there is a strategy not only for fighting the war but also for getting out of it."