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Saturday November 7, 2009

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Afghanistan

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioElection Boycotts Don't Work

Matthew Frankel, November 03, 2009, The Daily Beast

Matthew Frankel compares Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from Afghanistan's runoff election to other electoral boycotts over the years. Based on independent research of 100 boycotts since 1990, Frankel concludes that they rarely work and often fracture the party involved. Read More

Elections, Afghanistan, Politics

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioU.S. Options in Afghanistan and the Karzai Brothers

Vanda Felbab-Brown, November 02, 2009, Room for Debate Blog

U.S. Options in Afghanistan and the Karzai BrothersHamid Karzai was declared the winner of the presidential vote in Afghanistan on November 2 and he was quickly warned that he must crack down on rampant corruption. Vanda Felbab-Brown joined several other experts to discuss what should be done about President Karzai's brother, Wali Karzai, who has been linked to Afghanistan's narcotics trade. Read More

Afghanistan, Counternarcotics Policy, Corruption

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioAbdullah's Withdrawal from the Runoff Election in Afghanistan

Michael E. O'Hanlon, October 31, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Abdullah's Withdrawal from the Runoff Election in AfghanistanMichael O'Hanlon discusses Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from Afghanistan's presidential election runoff that was scheduled for November 7. O'Hanlon argues that while Afghan President Karzai can now be viewed as legitimate, although tainted, he is hardly out of the woods. Read More

Afghanistan, Elections, Governance, Politics

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioThe Role of the Military in Climate Change and Security

Thursday, October 29, 2009
3:00 PM to 5:15 PM
Washington, DC

Reuters/Steve MarcusOn October 29, the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings, the Institute for Environmental Security, CNA, E3G and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion on the real dangers for conflicts and disputes resulting from resource shortages, water rights and natural disasters. Read More

Energy Security, Climate Change, Global Environment, Transnational Security Threats, Afghanistan

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNarco-belligerents Across the Globe: Lessons from Colombia for Afghanistan?

Vanda Felbab-Brown, October 28, 2009, Fundación Real Instituto Elcano

Increased insecurity in Afghanistan and the sense that the counterinsurgency is not being won have left many looking for comparisons that can shape future policy. Vanda Felbab-Brown examines similarities between the counternarcotics and counterinsurgency efforts in Colombia to draw conclusions on how to reverse recent trends in Afghanistan. Read More

Counternarcotics Policy, Colombia, Afghanistan, NATO

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioU.S. Counternarcotics Strategy in Afghanistan

Vanda Felbab-Brown, October 21, 2009, Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control

U.S. Counternarcotics Strategy in AfghanistanIn testimony before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Vanda Felbab-Brown discussed how narcotics production influences the security, political, and economic developments in Afghanistan. Felbab-Brown also examined the effectiveness of policies to mitigate these effects and offered recommendations for the future of U.S. policy on the issue. Read More

Counternarcotics Policy, Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Development

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioMake American Resources Conditional on Afghan Progress

Michael E. O'Hanlon and Stephen J. Solarz, October 19, 2009, The Washington Times

Congressional leaders and the Obama administration discussing "intermediate options" in Afghanistan, but could such an approach prove successful? Michael O’Hanlon and Stephen Solarz offer insight into what middle-ground steps General Stanley McChrystal is already taking and explain how an active U.S.-Afghan partnership is essential to providing security, safety and success in Afghanistan. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Terrorism, NATO, Corruption

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioAssessing the President’s Policy Options in Afghanistan

Friday, October 16, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC

President Obama's decision on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan is being portrayed as the most momentous of his young presidency. On October 16, Brookings hosted a discussion of the president's policy options for Afghanistan, drawing on experts with a diverse range of views. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Foreign Policy, Terrorism, The Presidency

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIt's All or Nothing in Afghanistan

Vanda Felbab-Brown, October 12, 2009, The Daily Beast

It's All or Nothing in AfghanistanAs the Afghanistan strategy debate continues, Vanda Felbab-Brown says policymakers should not be fooled by options that lie “in the middle” of a beefed-up counterinsurgency mission and a scaled-back counterterrorism operation. Felbab-Brown believes the United States and NATO must decide how important the stakes are, and either properly resource the current mission or cut losses now rather than later. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, NATO, Corruption

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioShould President Obama Send More Troops to Afghanistan?

Michael E. O'Hanlon, October 11, 2009, CBS' Face The Nation

Michael O'Hanlon joined Bob Shieffer, and guests on Face the Nation, to discuss the current and future U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. O'Hanlon focused on the growth of the Taliban as grounds to back additional troop increases for the counterinsurgency mission and argued the counterterrorism strategy advocated by some has already been tried and did not work. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Terrorism

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Danger of Delay in Afghan Policymaking

Bruce Riedel, October 08, 2009, Council on Foreign Relations

While President Barack Obama and his advisers complete a study on U.S. operations in Afghanistan, Bruce Riedel warns of the consequences of delaying new action. Riedel says it is vital for the administration to avoid lengthy delays in deciding on a course of action in its planning for the Af-Pak war theater. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Foreign Policy, Transnational Security Threats

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioStates of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Jason Campbell, Michael E. O'Hanlon and Jeremy Shapiro, October 07, 2009, The New York Times

States of Iraq, Afghanistan and PakistanIraq remains between peace and war while the situation in Afghanistan still appears to be deteriorating, and Pakistan is doing better than Afghanistan but more progress is needed. Jason Campbell, Michael O'Hanlon and Jeremy Shapiro examine leading metrics from all three countries to assess how well the counterinsurgency and stabilization operations are faring. Read More

Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S. Military, Transnational Security Threats

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioGen. Stanley McChrystal: A General Within Bounds in Afghanistan

Michael E. O'Hanlon, October 06, 2009, The Washington Post

Gen. Stanley McChrystal: A General Within Bounds in AfghanistanGen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has come under fire for making public comments about the war. Michael O'Hanlon writes that while McChrystal was indeed too blunt, the criticism goes too far because McChrystal critiqued an option – scaling back to a counterterrorism mission – directly at odds with the current policy. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Defense Strategy, Foreign Policy

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioThe Afghanistan and Pakistan Indexes and Assessments of U.S. Policies in the Region

Monday, October 05, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC

Afghanistan and Pakistan have challenged President Obama since he took office, as questions persist about the success of U.S. policies in the region. On October 5, Brookings hosted the launch of a new Pakistan Index with a discussion on the state of the Afghanistan mission and the effort to address extremist activities in Pakistan. Read More

Afghanistan, Pakistan, Terrorism, Transnational Security Threats, Defense Strategy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNo Big Blank Checks for Afghanistan

Michael E. O'Hanlon, October 01, 2009, The Washington Times

No Big Blank Checks for AfghanistanMichael O'Hanlon says an apparent gap has emerged between the military leadership in Afghanistan and President Obama's advisers who have growing doubts about the mission there. Though additional troops may be needed, O'Hanlon believes it is it is sensible to tie a commitment of more resources to the Afghanistan government doing more and addressing corruption within their country. Read More

Afghanistan, U.S. Military, Corruption, Development

In Brief

Over eight years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban regime, Afghanistan is still far from stable. A resurgent Taliban and rampant drug trade are among numerous problems facing Hamid Karzai’s government and an increased U.S. military effort. NATO-led attempts at establishing security and development have suffered setbacks, and an international military presence is expected to remain there for the foreseeable future. 

See the Afghanistan Index »

Featured Experts

Michael E. O'Hanlon

Michael E. O'Hanlon

Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy
The Sydney Stein, Jr. Chair

Michael O’Hanlon specializes in U.S. national security policy. He is senior author of the Iraq Index. A former defense budget analyst who advised members of Congress on military spending, he specializes in Iraq, North Korea, homeland security, the use of military force and other defense issues.
Read More

Bruce Riedel

Bruce Riedel

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy

A former CIA officer, Bruce Riedel focuses on political transition, terrorism and conflict resolution. He was a senior advisor to three U.S. presidents on Middle East and South Asian issues. At the request of President Obama he chaired an interagency review of policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan for the White House that was completed in March 2009.
Read More

Jeremy Shapiro

Jeremy Shapiro

Director of Research, Center on the United States and Europe

Jeremy Shapiro is an expert on civil-military relations, Europe, France, military operations and National Security, and was previously a political and defense analyst at the RAND Corporation. In June and July 2009, Shapiro served on a civilian assessment team in Afghanistan, contributing to U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal's strategic review process.
Read More

Vanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown

Fellow, Foreign Policy, 21st Century Defense Initiative

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Read More

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Q&A with Vanda Felbab-Brown

Crucial Election in Afghanistan

"Persuading [Afghans] that, however the election comes out, the international community had nothing to do with it—that it was the will of the people—will be critical."

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