The Washington Post's "Afghanistan Papers" and U.S. Policy: Main Points and Possible Questions for Congress
Abstract
On December 9, 2019, the Washington Post published a series of documents termed the Afghanistan Papers. The Papers comprise two sets of documents: about 1,900 pages of notes and transcripts of interviews with more than 400 U.S. and other policymakers that were carried out between 2014 and 2018 by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), and approximately 190 short memos (referred to as snowflakes) from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, dating from 2001 to 2004. The documents, and the Washington Post stories that accompany them, suggest that U.S. policies in Afghanistan often were poorly planned, resourced, and/or executed. These apparent shortcomings contributed to several outcomes that either were difficult to assess or did not fulfill stated U.S. objectives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 28, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1172033
Entities
People
- Clayton Thomas
Organizations
- Library of Congress