Sunday, June 25, 2017

Commentary on Afghanistan


Petraeus on Afghanistan. General (Ret) David Petraeus was interviewed by Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour about the current situation in Afghanistan and possible future strategy. He says that an increase of 3K to 5K troops is an important step to take. He believes the Department of Defense along with other agencies will soon roll out a 'new' strategy that will stop the decline of security in Afghanistan. Read more in "Petraeus: We went to Afghanistan for a reason; and we need to stay", PBS Newshour, June 16,2017.

Pakistan's Anxieties? C. Christine Fair once again identifies Pakistan as the major problem facing Afghanistan in solving its security issues in "Pakistan's Anxieties Are Incurable, So Stop Trying to Cure Them", War on the Rocks, June 21, 2017.

An Alternative Option to Surging Troops. Daniel L. Davis, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities, presents his opinion on the expected 'mini-surge' of 3-5K additional troops to Afghanistan. Instead of more troops the U.S. should put pressure on Kabul to make good progress in reducing corruption and engage in a regional diplomatic effort to reduce the Pakistan support to the insurgency. Read his article "Instead of sending more soldiers to Afghanistan, Trump should do this", Washington Examiner, June 21, 2017.

US Strategy Needs China's Support. The new U.S. administration will soon roll out its 'Afghan strategy'; however, it faces a difficult task of getting Pakistan and Afghanistan talking again. China can help. Daud Khattak writes "Whatever the New US Strategy in Afghanistan, It Can't Succeed Without China", The Diplomat, June 21, 2017.

Anthony Cordesman on Afghanistan. Cordesman - of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) - offers his perspective and some recommendations about the stability and security of Afghanistan in "One-Size-Fits-All Approach Fails in Afghanistan", The Cipher Brief, June 23, 2017.

U.S. Media Absent on Afghanistan. Pete Metzger, a former Marine officer, feels that the U.S. media is pre-ocuppied with news about Russia and they not covering the Afghan conflict properly in "The Media Miss the Mark on Afghanistan", National Review, June 23, 2017.

Trump's Plan for Afghanistan - a Break from the Past Admin. Peter Bergen, a CNN national security analyst, comments on the new plan for Afghanistan in "Trump's emerging plan for Afghanistan breaks with Obama approach", CNN, June 21, 2017.

Confronting Pakistan. Javid Ahmad writes that the Trump administration should consider new pressure points that increase the pain for Pakistan in "America Must Confront Pakistan's Support of Afghan-Based Terrorism", The National Interest, June 20, 2017.

What is Success? Luke Coffey, of The Heritage Foundation, says that ". . . we need to start measuring success by achievements on the ground and not by unrealistic expectations". Thus far, achievements on the ground have been fleeting. Read more in "What Does America Consider Success in Afghanistan", June 2, 2017.


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