Report Release: The Northern Distribution Network and the Modern Silk Road

CSIS' Transnational Threats Project and Russia and Eurasia Program presented their latest report, "The Northern Distribution Network and the Modern Silk Road: Planning for Afghanistan's Future."

As the U.S. presence in Afghanistan increases, so too will its demand for non-lethal supplies.  To accommodate this growth and address ongoing concerns with Pakistani supply lines, U.S. planners have opened the Northern Distrubtion Network (NDN), a commercially-based logistical corridor connecting Baltic and Black Sea ports with Afghanistan via Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

This report examines the NDN both as a means of delivering supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and as a foundation for the so-called Modern Silk Road.

Andrew Kuchins, Director, CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program; Thomas Sanderson, Deputy Director, CSIS Transnational Threats Project; and Stephen Benson, Adjunct Fellow, CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program; commented on the report and its findings.