America ponders next move

As Americans sit down to Thanksgiving dinner today they will raise a glass to what is seen by the US people as a complete triumph in Afghanistan.

Despite early warnings from Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that the United States should prepare for a long and possibly bloody ground war, the fighting in Afghanistan has so far been as bloodless for America as previous campaigns in Kosovo and over Serbia. Not a single American soldier has so far been lost in combat.

The result is seen as a political triumph for President Bush and his team. Even two weeks ago, critics at home voiced concerns that the war was going nowhere. Suddenly, the Northern Alliance is in Kabul. Commentator William Safire noted in the New York Times: "That the war-damaged Pentagon has every right to be proud."

American military operations in Afghanistan are seen in terms of retribution. At the same time, there seems little interest among the US public in a policy of bringing stability to the region.

The Northern Alliance are portrayed as freedom fighters rather than the remnants of a failed regime whose misrule allowed the Taliban to take over. Nor is there any awareness about what seems to be a fundamental difference of opinion between the White House and Downing Street over the use of British troops being held on standby for peacekeeping duties.

Fathoming what the White House intends next for Afghanistan is equally difficult. On a visit to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky yesterday, Mr Bush warned his troops that "the most difficult steps" in the war against terrorism still lay ahead. "Once again you have a rendezvous with destiny."

Whether this signals wholesale deployment of US ground forces is still unclear. Meanwhile, debate in the US is now centring around whether the war against terrorism should be taken to other countries, in particular Iraq.