Pakistan and Afghanistan - the US' "toughest" foreign policy challenge? [AFP]

In his first official meetings with the Pakistani and Afghan leaders, Barack Obama, the US president, will confront a key test of his administration - helping to stabilise and turn around a rapidly worsening situation in both countries.

"Together, the two are the toughest foreign policy challenges we've faced in years, if not decades," says Karin Von Hippel, an Afghanistan analyst from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based foreign policy think-tank.

"They dwarf Iraq and many other complexes we've dealt with in the past two, three or four decades."

The Obama administration sees the two countries as a single regional problem. 

When he entered office, Obama initially focused on Afghanistan, sending more than 20,000 new troops there to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

He says ratcheting up the war effort is essential to preventing future deadly attacks on US soil.

'Turning around'

But, more recently, Pakistan has eclipsed Afghanistan in terms of immediate concern.

The rapid advances by Pakistani Taliban fighters, and the seeming complacency of Islamabad to the threat they pose, evoked cries of alarm from Washington and concern over the vulnerability of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

In depth

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has also said that Pakistan is "basically abdicating to the Taliban".
 
When he meets Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, on Wednesday, Obama will emphasise the need to take the Taliban threat seriously.

William Milam, the former US ambassador to Pakistan, says Obama's message to Zardari would be: "Let's get our act together, let's push back, let's work together to push against extremists.

'You've got to drop your fascination with India and turn around."

Political weakness
 
Obama has been critical of Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.

He wants Karzai to crack down on corruption and project government authority beyond the gates of Kabul, the capital.

Both Zardari and Karzai will meet separately with one other, as well as together with Obama.

Obama has been critical of Karzai on corruption and lack of authority concerns [AFP]

Afghans and Pakistanis are suspicious that Washington is merely using them as pawns to advance its goals in the region.

"If they think they're just fighting our war, they won't put in an effort," Von Hippel says.

Experts say the Pakistani military, fixated on traditional adversary India, is reluctant to order troops into battle with fellow citizens and fellow Muslims.

Many Pakistanis, they also warn, are deeply angry over US air strikes on Pakistani territory, ostensibly targeted at fighters but often inflicting civilian casualties.

The administration's new strategy includes more than just troops and political pressure.

It includes the added incentive of money.

Lowering expectations

Obama has asked the US congress to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency military aid to Pakistan, with billions more for economic development and institution-building in both countries planned for the future. 

"Through a good deal of assistance, be it economic or social, we will, over a period of generation, be able to strengthen their institutions, develop them, but it's a long-term prospect," Milam says.

"I think the problem is that we're trying to solve a short-term problem with a long-term solution and that's going to be very difficult."
 
What the US needs to do is support the Pakistani government to protect themselves, Von Hippel adds.

"In the long run, that's the only way we can secure the nuclear weapons. We're not going to take over the country, we just can't. We're not capable of doing it."

But already, the White House is trying to lower expectations for the meeting, describing it as a "listening session".

"This is an opportunity to discuss with them [the presidents] the process and open up those lines of communication because we want a strong relationship with both countries," said Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary.