The 800 pound gorilla everyone has to pretend not to notice: IT'S STILL A MUSLIM COUNTRY.
FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ARE ANTI-ISLAMIC CONCEPTS.
NO Islamic country will EVER be successful except in the eyes of the religious leaders who are getting their every whim met at whatever cost to every other member of the society is required.
I'm afraid you're right about the 800 lb. gorilla. The whole religion is a curse to this planet. I don't think we should, however, let the Taliban take over again. It's still a good place to kill the enemy Islamicist bastards. There will be war for years and years it seems. Afganistan is pretty much intractable place to tame, but I think Iraq is considerably more hopeful.
Turkey is also an Islamic country and has been a functioning democracy since the nineteen-twenties if I am correct. It will be a very tough task, but not impossible. The alternative is the return of the Taliban. In short there is no alternative.