Obama has announced that he will send another 17,000 American troops to Afghanistan this spring and summer to raise the troops level to 53,000. It appears to be a Vietnam-like solution for ending the war. President Obama came in the name of change but is still following Bush's policy in Afghanistan. Surge in troop levels won't accomplish the objective of ending the war; rather it would promote instability in Afghanistan and the neighbouring Pakistan. In order to formulate a win-win exit policy, the US policy makers need to understand the history and culture of Afghanistan; every bearded Afghan man is not Taliban. Every Afghan woman who covers her face is not doing so under any duress. It is a part of Pakhtun customs and religious beliefs. The Pakistanis have also become suspicious of the US. They are all fed up with the US policies. President Obama's Afghanistan policy should be based on wisdom and not just continuation of President Bush's failed policies. -A. KHAN, via e-mail, March 29.