rssShadow-Pentagon Think Tank Releases New AfghaniPakistan Policy Paper
Friday, January 23, 2009 at 12:50 pm
- 5 Comments
Remember the Center for a New American Security, the counterinsurgent-heavy defense think tank that used to be run by Michele Flournoy and Kurt Campbell before they became, respectively, undersecretary of defense for policy and assistant secretary of state for East Asia? Several other scholars at the think tank are probably going into the administration as well. Which probably means that the brand-new CNAS policy paper on Afghanistan/Pakistan will be widely read. (Indeed, much like an administration policy paper, it’s a svelte three pages.)
Admirably, the paper starts with basic principles — it’s even titled “Tell Me Why We’re There?” — and seeks to provide a ” clear articulation of U.S. interests in Afghanistan, a concise definition of what the coalition seeks to achieve there, and a detailed strategy to guide the effort.” It defines the worthy goals of policy negatively: “The Two No’s” — shades of CNAS’s “Three No’s” for Iraq in 2007, there — are “no sanctuary for terrorists with global reach in Afghanistan,” and “no broader regional meltdown.” If this sounds like a diminished expectation for policy, it’s not, really: authors and counterinsurgency luminaries David Kilcullen, John Nagl, Vikram Singh and Nate Fick says the strategy requires:
An internal balance between centralized and traditional power centers—not central government control everywhere—is the key to Afghan stability. Achieving this will require more military forces, but also a much greater commitment to good governance and to providing for the needs of the Afghan people where they live. The coalition will need to use its considerable leverage to counter Afghan government corruption at every level.
Oh, just that, fellas? Corruption in Afghanistan is, from what I saw, pretty endemic; and decentralized governance, from what people told me, was a contributing factor to it — the local leaders demanded kickbacks, and their provincial leaders demanded kickbacks, all the way up to Kabul. I’m not saying I have a better idea, just that CNAS’ proposals may be in greater tension than the paper discusses.
It also endorses integrating policy with Afghanistan and Pakistan’s neighbors, which presumably means the ‘stans, Iran and India. Interestingly, the paper doesn’t say anything about the prospect of either negotiating with the insurgency to try and fracture it; or building up Iraq-style tribal militias, two recent proposals. I wonder what’s up with that.
Either way, if you’re about to work in the Pentagon policy directorate, you should probably save yourself time and get Flournoy your notes on the CNAS paper by Monday morning.
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5 Comments
Comment posted January 24, 2009 @ 10:09 am
Mr. President Obama treat us Iranian Like European’s people
The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and the Al-Qaida terrorist organizations are challenging the US Government influence in the Muslim world. They are not going to negotiate with the US Government for any peaceful settlement. Their goals are clear. They are trying to bleed the US Government financially first and then militarily later.
The Bush administrations’ was very helpful to IRI and Al-Qaida because of their own wrong policy of helping corrupt politicians and dictators of Muslim world.
Mr. President Obama; we hope you are going to change your policy now before it is too late. You have golden opportunity to save the interest of American people in the Muslim world. We hope that you are going to treat us “the Eryan or Iranian or Aryan people” like the US government treated the people of the Western Europe after World War II.
Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 4:14 am
Obama’s Iran (Muslim world) efforts are leading to dead end
Sincere efforts by President Obama toward Iran (Shi’a part of Muslim world) are not going any where.
Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is in the war indirectly to defeat the US Government in the Muslim World. No mater what the US Government does; the IRI will try to discredit them and diffuse their effort. IRI goals are clear; they are not seeking friendship with the USA for mutual respect and mutual interest.
Once a while they are cooperating to cool the US Government but the principal goals of the IRI since President Carter are the same. They are following the Ayatollah Khomeini wished to defeat the US Government, EU and Russian in the Muslim World.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s dreams are for the Shi’a to take over Islamic World.
The PM of Turkey has the same dream but he is following different path than IRI. The Islamic movements in the “Muslim World” are sharing common goals above but they are following different methods to achieve the same goals.
Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
Obama’s Iran (Muslim world) efforts are leading to dead end
Sincere efforts by President Obama toward Iran (Shi’a part of Muslim world) are not going any where.
Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is in the war indirectly to defeat the US Government in the Muslim World. No mater what the US Government does; the IRI will try to discredit them and diffuse their effort. IRI goals are clear; they are not seeking friendship with the USA for mutual respect and mutual interest.
Once a while they are cooperating to cool the US Government but the principal goals of the IRI since President Carter are the same. They are following the Ayatollah Khomeini wished to defeat the US Government, EU and Russian in the Muslim World.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s dreams are for the Shi’a to take over Islamic World.
The PM of Turkey has the same dream but he is following different path than IRI. The Islamic movements in the “Muslim World” are sharing common goals above but they are following different methods to achieve the same goals.
Comment posted January 25, 2011 @ 5:13 am
I think that u cant defeat fundamentalism only by armed force religious educational institutions are the main industries of production of as certain type terrorism as for as u do not take a effort promote actual secular and liberal suppress nationalist forces in this region of sub continent you are never be successful to construct liberal a liberal and secular atmosphere in this region .
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