In a traditional war, the opposing sides are convinced of the righteousness of their cause, and one eventually prevails over the other. At that point, after the fighting has ended and one side has capitulated, the victor can rightly claim that the fighting served a purpose and brought about the desired result. That's not the way it works in the war on terrorism. Experience shows that there is no clear winner, at least not in the traditional sense. If the war in Afghanistan ends in just such a stalemate, as it surely will given Barack Obama's withdrawal plans, Miloš Zeman will have to rethink his declaration from yesterday that "the more intensive the battle in Afghanistan [against terrorists], the lower the risk that innocent Czech civilians and others will be hit." He will have to back away from this, or else he will logically need to offer to send Czech soldiers to replace the Nato troops that leave without accomplishing their mission.