Bruce Riedel was entrusted by President Barack Obama with the task of chairing an inter-agency review of United States policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. A former CIA officer and a senior advisor to four US presidents on West Asia and South Asian issues, Riedel last month wrapped up the review, which will shape Obama’s policy. He has since returned to the Brookings Institution, where he is a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. Excerpt from Riedel’s conversation with Ashish Kumar Sen in Washington DC.