Afghanistan: A Path to Success
Abstract
After years of neglect, the United States has made Afghanistan the central front in the war on terrorism. Experts state that the resurgence is not the former Taliban, and al-Qaida in Afghanistan highlighted the limitations in the current strategy, which favored a top down approach and failed to consider the effects a trickle down policy would have on the population. This paper will analyze how a bottom-up strategy that recognized the power inherent in the regional government and its people, coupled with a top down approach could have accelerated the achievement of the stated strategic or U.S. national goals and possibly prevented the resurgence of the Islamists and the corresponding increase in violence and instability in Afghanistan. This paper's thesis is that had the United States not underestimated the scope, costs, and difficulty of rebuilding a nation ravaged by decades of violence, it would have considered the importance of the regional and tribal government organization in creating a stable and secure Afghanistan. By incorporating these stakeholders in the nascent government, it is possible that a secure environment would have emerged leading to political and economic reform.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 04, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA503126
Entities
People
- Ignacio R. Valadez
Organizations
- Naval War College