The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan requires a more robust military response, but with the American army bogged down in Iraq and the Western allies reluctant to send additional troops, the country’s dismemberment by local warlords is not a far-fetched scenario. And, with the allies’ military operations eroding President Hamid Karzai’s domestic legitimacy, Obama might consider the advice of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who warns that the answer in Afghanistan will have to be more political than military.