Time to Stop Maximizing the Chances of Failure in Afghanistan
Along with other House national security leaders, I have just sent a letter to President Obama expressing our concern for the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. There is no question that a secure, stable, and sovereign Afghanistan remains in the national security interests of the United States, but President Obama’s foreign policy decisions are undermining …
If Reconciliation Fails in Afghanistan, What’s Plan B?
In Washington, it’s a term that sends shivers down policymakers’ spines — often invoked to describe an unknown or undesirable alternative to a policy that is problematic and often overly idealistic, yet that officials nonetheless desperately want to succeed. In 2007, soon after U.S. authorities had announced a high-stakes troop surge in Iraq, a group …
Do We Know What We Are Doing in Afghanistan This Year?
As the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan mission drew to a close in December 2014, President Obama said: For more than 13 years, ever since nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken from us on 9/11, our nation has been at war in Afghanistan. Now, thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men …
The Myth of the $43-Million Gas Station in Afghanistan
Last month saw another missile launched by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR). In doing so, SIGAR renewed its attack on what was arguably the most catalytic wartime agent for economic development since the Marshall Plan, the Defense Department’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO). This time, after a long string …
Saving Afghanistan: More Than Just Troops
President Obama recently revealed two changes to Afghanistan troop commitments. He also made another, vaguer commitment has received far less attention. But it is this commitment — to “continue to support President Ashraf Ghani and the national unity government as they pursue critical reforms” — that will determine whether the U.S. troop commitment to Afghanistan has any …
The Fall of Kunduz and What it Means for the Future of Afghanistan
After months of taking a backseat to numerous other geostrategic hotspots, the recent Taliban seizure of Kunduz, Afghanistan’s sixth largest city, has thrust this troubled country once again into international headlines. The Taliban’s first instance of overrunning a provincial capital comes at an inopportune time for the National Unity Government (NUG), which just completed its …
How to Lose a Civil War: Lessons for Afghanistan and Syria
In a number of civil wars, the final, decisive mistake of the incumbent government occurred when it decided for reasons of prestige or strategy to overextend its military to hold exposed positions, thus inviting the destruction of key military assets. This was the case of Chiang Kai-shek’s post-WWII attempt to hold Manchuria, which ended in …
A Discussion with Ben Anderson of VICE about the War in Afghanistan
I recently spoke with journalist, filmmaker, and author Ben Anderson about his recent episode of VICE on HBO. In his film, Afghanistan After Us, Anderson chronicled the current state of the Afghan Local Police. In our conversation, he expands on how a village in Helmand Province came to have a 53-year-old woman in charge of …
Why Afghanistan is a Big Winner in the U.S.–Iran Deal
In the days since the United States and Iran concluded their landmark nuclear accord, much has been said about the deal’s geopolitical implications. Most U.S. media coverage has focused on ramifications for the Middle East: How will Iran’s nemeses Israel and Saudi Arabia respond? Will Mideast sectarian tensions increase? Will the accord embolden Iran and …
Organizational Friction and the Team of Teams Approach in Afghanistan
Kori Schake’s critique of Stan McChrystal’s recently released Team of Teams is right on track. Her suggestion that it would have been enlightening for Gen. McChrystal to have compared his experience as the leader of special operations forces in Iraq with his tenure as ISAF commander in Afghanistan raises interesting questions. How well did the …
India in Afghanistan: Tackling a Thorny Issue
Last week, I had the privilege to speak with a small group of Indian parliamentarians who were visiting the United States. The subject was U.S. policy in South and Central Asia. After offering remarks we turned to discussion. No surprise – U.S. policy toward Pakistan consumed much of the remainder of the session. A key …
“Just the Facts” on Afghanistan Doesn’t Tell the Story
Leigh Neville, The British Army in Afghanistan 2006-14 (Osprey Publishing, 2015) The British Army in Afghanistan 2006-14 is the latest in the “Elite” series of books from Osprey, a specialist publisher of military history. The “Elite” series is focused on “a single army or elite unit,” and a quick glance at the back catalogue puts …
Reading Galula in Afghanistan
This spring marks five years since the troop surge in Afghanistan began. President Obama authorized a plan to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan in December 2009 and in early March 2010 the first elements of the surge began arriving in-country. This decision was based on the view, advocated by military leaders, that the …
Afghanistan: Coming to the Bad End of the Good War
Editor’s Note: The following is adapted from Jack Fairweather’s book, The Good War: Why We Couldn’t Win the War or the Peace in Afghanistan (Basic Books, 2014). A few weeks before President Obama was due to decide whether to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden – the reason America had invaded the …
What’s the Plan? The NATO Coalition in Afghanistan
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles based on insights gleaned from Jason Campbell’s recent NATO-sponsored trip to Afghanistan that featured meetings with senior NATO and Afghan officials, members of Parliament, representatives from a number of international organizations, and prominent members of Afghan civil society. Read the first article here. As of …
