The Beeb's Alistair Leithead looks at the knotty problem posed by Musa Qala, an Afghan town that's home to a controversial peace deal but recently over-run again by the Taliban.
The U.S. opposed the deal the Brits struck with elders in the town in the northern part of Helmand province. They thought it would just create future problems.
So with the Taleban flag flying over Musa Qala who was right?
That is still unproven, with Nato hanging on to the hope that the elders will make the Taleban leave, but it is looking increasingly likely that military action will be required.
Auxiliary police
The new Helmand governor Haji Asadullah Wafa has big plans for his province. He does not support the Musa Qala deal, but only because it does not go far enough.
He calls his proposal "protocols" - plans which local elders must sign up to and be responsible for.
Essentially it is the same idea but it demands more from them and includes the right of the Nato forces to enter a district centre whenever they want, unlike the deal in Musa Qala.
He plans groups of auxiliary police being trained from each district to become a local security force and give the elders a chance to recommend who they want as their district police chief.
But it mainly comes down to where the mission is going from here.
Air strikes
Many worry the new American general Dan McNeill may have more emphasis on force and less on deal-making or reconstruction.
However, outgoing International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) commander General David Richards gave the approval for a huge number of air strikes in his nine months - force was a major part of his strategy even if the mission was to create the conditions for more development and better governance.
Talking appears to be the most sensible way of bringing peace but critics of these deals ask if soldiers really know who they are talking to - and with the tribal nature of Afghanistan it is really difficult to know what other agenda people may have.