Afghanistan Study Group Report: Revitalizing Our Efforts, Rethinking Our Strategies
Abstract
Afghanistan stands today at a crossroads. The progress achieved after 6 years of international engagement is under serious threat from resurgent violence, weakening international resolve, mounting regional challenges, and a growing lack of confidence on the part of the Afghan people about the future. The United States and the international community have tried to win the struggle in Afghanistan with too few military forces and insufficient economic aid, and without a clear and consistent comprehensive strategy to fill the power vacuum outside Kabul and to counter the combined challenges of reconstituted Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a runaway opium economy, and the stark poverty faced by most Afghans. The authors believe that success in Afghanistan remains a critical national security imperative for the United States and the international community. Achieving that success will require a sustained, multi-year commitment from the United States and a willingness to make the war in Afghanistan -- and the rebuilding of that country -- a higher U.S. foreign policy priority. What should the United States do to address the many obstacles to success in Afghanistan? While the Study Group acknowledges that mistakes have been made, it focuses its attention on the future, analyzing the current situation with a view to what is needed to match strategies with goals and the required resources. After offering its assessment of the current situation in Afghanistan, the Study Group addresses six critical issues to revitalize the U.S. and international effort in that country: international coordination, security, governance and the rule of law, counter-narcotics, economic development and reconstruction, and Afghanistan and its neighbors. In addition to these recommendations, the Study Group offers three overarching recommendations to bring sharper focus and attention to Afghanistan within the U.S. government and the broader international community.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 30, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA476842
Entities
People
- James L. Jones
- Thomas R. Pickering