It's been nearly 11 years since U.S. and allied troops arrived in Afghanistan to take on al-Qaida and the Taliban. It's the longest war in U.S. history, exceeding Vietnam (8.4 years), the Revolutionary War (8.4 years), the Civil War (four years), World War II (3.7 years) and World War I (1.6 years).

That's a long time. It's not over, either.

The United States currently is

. But about 68,000 U.S. troops, along with NATO allies, remain in the country, and the plan is to hand over security to the Afghans by 2014.

You'll struggle to find someone who expects a smooth transition.

Afghanistan remains a turmoil-filled country, and it's not helping that allied troops

by Afghan soldiers they helped train. This week, coalition troops announced they were

because of the surge in

. Also, while President Obama's 2009 surge had some initial battlefield success, it's

. However, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calls the surge a success (

):

<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6547992/">What should the U.S. do in regard to Afghanistan?</a>

Not many share Dempsey's optimism. The

argue that allied strategies have not worked in Afghanistan and it's time to withdraw all U.S. troops:

Why not leave now? That's the question the

(and the paper

). The war is costly, in lives and money:

reports that things will get "messy" in Afghanistan if allied troops withdraw. But he says it's doubtful that keeping troops in the country would make a difference:

Despite dire predictions and the enduring state of war, Anthony Cordesman, an Afghanistan analyst at the

, argues it might not be a strategic advantage to leave now (

):