KABUL, Afghanistan -- The residents of the Afghan capital are waiting for President Obama -- to make up his mind.

The president's lengthy review of Afghan policy -- the results of which he's finally expected to announce before Thanksgiving -- has created a dangerous sense of drift here. The absence of a clear U.S. policy -- when the Taliban is gaining -- has fed Afghan conspiracy theories that America secretly supports the insurgents. Meanwhile, delay has sapped domestic support for military engagement.

The uncertainty about American intent also feeds the perception here that the Taliban is winning. It undercuts the will of European countries to stay on, even as the United Nations has pulled out hundreds of staffers after a bomb destroyed one of its guesthouses.

Many Americans are confused about why we're even in Afghanistan, especially since al Qaeda is based next door in Pakistan. The reasons are complex: to keep insurgents from precipitating the collapse or militant takeover of Afghanistan, with dire consequences for nuclear-armed Pakistan; and to buy time for the Afghan government to develop its own security forces.

If the Americans could finally show results, most Afghans would tolerate them for the time being; they don't want the Taliban back.

As for corruption under President Hamid Karzai, there are ways to work around him. Remember when Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's central government was considered hopeless? That led U.S. officials to focus on bottom-up work at the provincial level. The same approach can be taken in Afghanistan.

My trip to the region also has convinced me that the administration needs to:

• Deliver economic aid more quickly. All the talk about revamping the aid bureaucracy has failed to expedite vital funds.

• Use any ``civilian surge'' to train Afghans, not do the job ourselves.

• Institute a clear chain of command. U.S. Embassy staffers in Kabul are looking over their shoulders to guess what special envoy Richard Holbrooke would want, but he hasn't been in Kabul for months. Afghans aren't certain who speaks for the U.S. president, which makes it harder to press Karzai on reforms.

Obama needs to persuade Afghans that he will stand behind them. Everyone in the region is awaiting his announcement. It should be firm, clear and strong.

(C)2009 The Philadelphia Inquirer