With Obama's New Afghanistan Strategy, an Effort to Find More Realistic Goals
The president emphasizes pragmatism as he lays out benchmarks for progress
Behind President Obama's unveiling Friday of a new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan is an attempt to keep the reformulated approach tied to clear and attainable measures of progress. The emphasis on pragmatism appears to pivot to some degree away from the earlier Bush administration efforts, which set a broad and very challenging ambition to foster an enduring Afghan democracy.
The new policy, according to a senior State Department official, places elevated priority on standing up the Afghan government's fledgling civilian capabilities to deliver public services and establish its authority throughout the country. The Obama team is also intent on getting deeper international support, in the form of either additional troops or money. That hope has apparently been boosted by the State Department's extensive consultations with European diplomats in preparing the new policy, judging by praise for the process offered this week by one such diplomat.
In Obama's new policy, Iran is seen as an important regional player in Afghanistan's future, a practical reality that the administration has decided needs to be recognized explicitly. Still, multilateral deliberations over Afghan security are not being viewed as a forum in which any broader strategic dialogue with Tehran could emerge. U.S. policy toward Iran remains under review.
The Obama policy, notes the official, is tantamount to an endorsement of a congressional funding plan, known as the Kerry-Lugar legislation, that links long-term U.S. security assistance to Islamabad to that government's effort at curbing Taliban activity along the frontier areas of western Pakistan that border Afghanistan. As Obama said today in announcing the new strategy, "After years of mixed results, we will not, and cannot, provide a blank check" to Islamabad. The administration believes that maintaining the new relationship envisioned between Islamabad and Washington depends on a convergence of views on how to counter the Taliban-driven security challenges in Pakistan, according to officials.
Through stepped-up aid and other measures, the administration hopes to build a long-term partnership with Pakistan. But that outcome is more likely if the political disputes roiling Pakistan's democratic parties can be overcome.
U.S. officials have taken heart from seeing that the recent Pakistani political crisis over restoring the country's Supreme Court chief justice was resolved through accommodation, a course they recommended.
Pakistan, whose officials were extensively consulted for the policy review by special representative to the region Richard Holbrooke and others, is expected to give the American initiative broad support.
Reader Comments
Obama's new stratigy for Afghanistan
Mr Obama You are President of a peace loving Natoin We as People of Afghanistan thank you for offering us more help and support.
in my Openion for the US it is very important to study the long historey of Afghanistan,I just meansion one example when British India's Forigen minster Duran impposed Duran line on Great Afghanistan in 1893 at that time the pwople of Afghanistan became unitted and fought against the british in Wazirstan there were around 40000 british solders to fight with Haji Mirzali khan with whome there were around 1500 tribal fighters but brithis army solders were unable to keep fighting and had finaly accepted defeat
ofter almost a hundred and eight years later we have got us army in Afghanistan this such a time while lar aw bar greart Afghanistan is still devided half of Afghanistan is under Panjabee dictatership and our pashtoon people have been kept first by the british then by present pakistan government un educatted.
In two third of Afghnistan that is in our hands norhteren alliances who are immagrants in Afghanistan are rulling on the majority Pashtoons Afghans Who are the real children of Afghanistan Mr Karzai only by name Afgan Pashtoon Who is unable to talk in Afghani or pashto language is by name in power.The powe is with Takiks.
The pashtoon Afghans are still waitting for great Afghnistan but how can that happen if pashtoons are not in power even pashtoo or Afghani language is treated like a forigen language in Afghanistan and Mr karzai's goernment is trying to impose minority on majority pashtoons the so called Duran line is expirec some 16 years befor while our pashtoons brothers are still not offically unitted with us nevertheless pashtoons has crossed this line and made national unitty but in media we are still called two saparate natoin like pakistani or Afghani while each pashtoon is an Afghan but each Afghan is not a pashtoon.
For the US it was possible to come some 17000km away to Afghanistan but it is not possible for them to go five Kms and cross the expired and so call Duran line.
On the other side of duran line we got FCR law this is made by British india in 1901 and still acttive and the area is called FATA which means Fedraly administrated Tribal Area.
This is something the Brithis has done for the Afghan Nation as a gift.
US is in Afghanistan while pashtoons are under the Iran Panjabee and Tajike dictatership.
We as pashtoons Afghans kindly ask the US to save us from these sleeve snakes.
bye Hamidullah Khosty
What a New Strategy Should Have to Succeed in Afghanistan -An open letter to Barack Obama
What a New Strategy Should Have to Succeed in Afghanistan - An open letter to Barack ObamaWashington - May 10, 2009
Mr. President,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the occasion of your election to the Presidency, as it has been remarkable in more than one way.
Mr. President,
I would like to share here, with a great economy of words, what I view as essential on the subject of the situation in Afghanistan. Recently, you laid out your Administration’s new strategy for Afghanistan. While I congratulate you for your willingness to bring change to the United States’ mostly unsuccessful approach of the last eight years – and not going beyond in order not to divert from my main focus here, I believe that not all the changes announced are going in the right direction and/or are sufficient to reach the results sought out – i.e. the stabilization and the normalization of the situation in Afghanistan.
Certainly, appointing a Special Envoy, increasing reconstruction/development aid money, further funding the development of the Afghan Security forces, and articulating a more firm and comprehensive policy towards Pakistan, as well as hinting at overtures to non-Al Qaeda-linked armed opposition groups, can be viewed as positive steps.
But to save Afghanistan from the current downward spiral, more radical changes and serious rethinking are needed. To witness any real improvement, I believe it is essential to state and accept that:
· Thirty years of conflict have excessively weakened Afghanistan in all aspects and one must recognize that the temporary and strictly defined involvement of the international community is still needed to put the country back on its feet.
· All countries and organizations involved in Afghanistan need to respect the country’s Sovereignty - not simply in words but also in deeds.
· Any international military and political actions in Afghanistan need to be channeled though the United Nations as the only legitimate guarantor and implementer of the international community’s decisions vis-à-vis one of its members.
· The 2001 Bonn Conference and its outcome - in the form of the current inefficient and mostly corrupt Afghan Government - have failed to deliver.
· Without the restoration of decent security conditions throughout the country, economic, educational, democratic, or any other type of development cannot prosper.
· Sending more foreign troops to Afghanistan is not the solution: More troops to be implanted locally will only antagonize the locals - as it will emphasize the notion of living under occupation – and, in the end, will counter-productively weaken furthermore the central Government.
**Sorry. I am running our of space here. Please read the rest of it at http://threehornedlion.com/assemakram/pages/articles/Open%20Letter%20to%20Obama.html.
Thank you.
Assem Akram
Award-winning Cartoonist Bashes Obama's New Afghanistan Policy
Award-winning Cartoonist Bashes Obama's New Afghanistan Policy
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/03/29/award-winning-cartoonist-not-fond-obamas-afghanistan-strategy
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