Winning in Afghanistan: The Challenges and the Response

Key Challenges:

• Government and governance ineffective at national, provincial and local levels; corruption is endemic.
• Economy is not moving forward at the level that benefits ordinary Afghan; rural development very weak with major problems with narcotics.
• Lack of an educated class, modern infrastructure, economic base to build upon.
• Current US and NATO aid and activity levels are inadequate.
• Reconstituted enemy is more lethal
• Pakistan sanctuary is enemy advantage
• Major rise in violence in West and South, Rising threat in otherareas
• Violence likely to be at least equal next year and may well be higher.
• Afghan forces developing but require major increases in aid and years of support; police are a critical challenge
• NATO effort has insufficient forces and only US, Canadian, British, Danes, and Dutch forces are in the fight. Romanians have been in limited action but are largely road bound due to wrong APCs.
• Increased Narco-trafficking/crime
• Threat exploits limited transportation infrastructure.