In the meantime, the policy of outsidersshouldbe neither to prop it up nor shatter it to pieces, but to use a mix of hard and soft power to guide it to a soft landing.
Its influence may first be felt in the Loya Jirga, which may have to decide how much of Afghanistan's security and rehabilitation shouldbe entrusted to outsiders.
South Korea has promised to open up its legal market to outsiders under a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union that shouldbe ratified later this year.