The omens look better than they have some time. The Americans have withdrawn from Iraq's cities, which means Afghanistan will have its full focus in a way it hasn't had since the initial invasion in 2001. Pakistan appears to have finally realised the Taliban and al-Qaeda threaten its existence as a state and no longer feels so passionately that it's "America's war." More importantly, Pakistan's armed forces appear to have reached the same conclusion after a series of bloody attacks on its major cities. Yesterday, it moved its forces up to the Afghan border to capture Taliban militants fleeing the American advance. Finally there appears to be evidence of the joined up thinking President Obama's new "Af-Pak" policy promised.