Critical Analysis

The latest developments, according to the experts.

United States Risks Losing War, Mismanaged Alliances.

The appointments of ex-mujahideen Marshal Muhammad Qasim Fahim and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, both accused of past war crimes, to government positions has disillusioned the Afghan people and cost the US the allegiance of Afghan people necessary for collecting intelligence on al-Qaeda.

Magazine: Foreign Affairs

Analyzing the Conflict; Future Policy Options for the War on Terror

Top US analysts debate the Afghan War, giving a prescriptive analysis of the ongoing conflict, countering corruption, and handling the Taliban. The analysts also delve into possible policy options as well as possible military and political strategies for the Obama administration.

Newspaper Article: New York Times

Logistics Slow Obama's Plan for a 'Civilian Surge' to Rebuild Afghanistan

Administration officials have hit snags regarding actual civilian capacity, adequate security, and Congressional and bureaucratic processes. The State Department’s Civilian Response Corps currently has 50 active members, but hopes to increase that number to 4,000 active, standby, and reserve members. Programming to do so has recently been put into effect. Obama hopes that civilian experts will help the Afghan government serve its people and restructure the economy.

Newspaper Article: National Public Radio

Election Crisis Can Increase Government Legitimacy

The Afghan election crisis is solvable by constitutional convention. The benefits of doing so include providing a forum for reconciliation, emphasizing local politics, and enhancing Afghan confidence in international involvement. A less radical solution would only maintain status quo.

Magazine: Foreign Policy

President Karzai Signed Afghanistan's Shi'a Personal Status Law

The Shi’a personal status law violates the Shi’a women’s rights and contradicts the Afghan constitution. The president signed the law in order to gain more support in the 2009 presidential election.

Journal Article: NPWJ.org

Main Policy for Present and Future: Stabilization of Afghanistan and Pakistan

President Obama publicly declared the impossibility of withdrawing troops form Afghanistan in the near future. The presence of US and Allied troops is necessary until Afghan forces can take over the role. Unified governments in both Afghanistan and Pakistan are necessary for both countries’ stability. The stability of both countries is interdependent as well as necessary to resist a resurgence of the Taliban. US policy needs to change its focus.

Journal Article: Foreign Policy Journal

Troops Hold Key to Victory in Rural Afghanistan

The number of American soldiers in Afghanistan doubled in 2008. In towns with an increased troop presence, the Taliban has been pushed back and life has been restored. General McChrystal’s request for 40,000 more troops should not be ignored.

Op-Ed Piece: New York Times

Imposed Democracy in Afghanistan a Crapshoot.

Sharp internal divisions and a lack of a strong economic base make democracy taking root much more challenging. Democratic institutions must be cultivated and strengthened to ensure their legitimacy and dominance in the political system, and to create a strong state. If Afghanistan is to achieve this, it will have to break historical patterns and it will likely be a long struggle, fraught with difficulty.

Journal Article: Foreign Policy Analysis

"Middle Ways" not an Alternative to Fully Integrated COIN Strategy

Opposition to the counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy favours a ‘middle way’ that limits the U.S presence in Afghanistan. However, a properly resourced and fully integrated COIN strategy offers a higher probability of success than any proposed middle way.

Op-Ed Piece: The New Republic

More Troops in Afghanistan are Needed for Military Success

In a report from General McChrystal (US/NATO top commander in Afghanistan) to US Defense Sec. Robert Gates, McChrystal asserts that, without more troops and a new genuine counterinsurgency strategy, defeat in Afghanistan is very likely. A democratic strategist says that getting funds for Afghanistan is one of the hardest votes to get through. President Obama even voices skepticism over whether more troops in Afghanistan would actually make a difference in a speech on September 20. Senator McCain stresses that a decision needs to be made now, because delaying the decision may unnecessarily jeopardize the lives of soldiers. And still Mullah Omar, the Taliban’s leader, speaks with confidence when he, in a message on September 19, refers to Afghanistan’s history of war and foreign forces’ limited success in the country.

Journal Article: The Hotline

Weak Governance Disadvantages Those Who Need it Most

Large cleavages in the government sector are leaving many without support or funding. Among those affected most are families of conflict victims left without food or shelter. The lack of government control and law enforcement agencies, paired with an ever rising number of deaths is contributing to Afghanistan becoming a leader in Asia in the number of widows and orphans.

IO / NGO Report: IRIN International