stronger in the north, weaker in the south. stronger among the tajics. the other two have greater support in the south. if the elections turn out in a way because of security reasons fewer people voted in the south and that favored the election of abdullah abdullah, that will make it difficult for him to govern. regardless, i think all three will have difficulty dealing with the united states, with the security pack with the united states. >> but haven't all three said they would sign that security pact with the united states? >> well, they may say that. but they may find it's difficult to do so. and even if they did sign it, for a new president that has come in to take such a bold step on such an explosive issue, there might be a political cost to pay, that may then impact their governance of afghanistan. >> how about the perspective on where afghanistan stands today as compared to how it was back in 2001?