Contra Fred Kaplan and Fareed Zakaria, Joanna Nathan says it's a bad idea to nation-build in Afghanistan through bribes:
Rented allies are not reliable allies. Simply buying or bribing more commanders of whatever ilk will mean more instability in an environment where entrenched interests in a war economy are already playing the international community -- not the other way around. Money is leverage and the populations of both Afghanistan and the U.S. need to be involved in debating how it is spent, rather than grubby backhanders. This must include clearly agreed public standards and measures -- and sanctions if they are not met. I am not saying this is easy, but simply blindly backing individuals has already been tried and failed. The top priority must be a real commitment to nation-building and trying to ensure an administration and institutions worth joining.
In other words, long-term neo-imperialism in Muslim countries. It's what this war has led us to. It's that or withdrawal. I know what I think is the saner, cheaper option, though neither one guarantees our safety.