Region Related Event Feeds

Afghanistan: The Failed Metrics of Ten Years of War

sherry — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The US has now been at war in Afghanistan for more than a decade, and is committed to stay through 2014 – with a possible advisory, aid, and funding presence that may extend to 2025. There still, however, are no convincing unclassified ways to measure progress in the war, or the trends in the fighting and level of violence.

The Real Issues in Afghanistan: Looking Beyond Undefined Policy Statements and Slogans

ian — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Secretary’s Panetta’s comment about ending the US combat role in Afghanistan in 2013, and focusing on building up Afghan forces, have triggered a predictable firestorm of criticism, guesswork, and speculation.

Transition in the Afghanistan-Pakistan War: How Does This War End?

ian — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The future of Afghanistan and Pakistan will be shaped by the way in which the US, NATO/ISAF, and major aid donors interact with the Afghan and Pakistani governments as they “transition” by withdrawing their forces and cutting their spending and aid.

Critical Issues for 2012

sherry — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

The Afghan War At the End of 2011: A Status Report

sherry — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

If the US and its allies are to achieve any meaningful form of victory in Afghanistan, they must make a realistic assessment of progress to date. They must develop and begin to implement realistic transition plans during the first half of this year. The Burke chair at CSIS has developed a two-part report that shows the progress made to date in the war.

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province

jdunton — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The traditional weaknesses in service delivery within Pakistan’s provincial and district governments have arisen from the complex interplay of several factors. Resource mobilization for essential services has always been a challenge for provincial governments, which typically have been dependent on federal handouts.

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan's Khyber Agency

jdunton — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

In mid-October 2011, thousands of families were fleeing Khyber, one of the seven tribal agencies in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), to refugee camps or relatives living outside of FATA. Their flight was in response to the announcement by the Pakistani military that it was undertaking a fresh round of operations against militant groups operating in the area.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan War at the End of 2011

sherry — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The US faces hard decisions in the Afghanistan/Pakistan War that are growing steadily harder as the time before transition runs out, the US faces growing budget pressures, and the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan becomes more unstable. The Burke Chair has prepared a report that assesses the chances for strategic success based on new US government, UN, and NGO reporting.

India and Afghanistan: Positioning for Withdrawal

NLombardo — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Today, with U.S. and NATO forces beginning their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the historical sequel to the Soviet Union’s 1989 withdrawal from the country is unfolding. The newest wrinkle in this story is that India is now actively involved and trying to position itself accordingly.

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan’s Swat Valley

jdunton — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In 2009, the Swat Valley became a focal point of Pakistan’s war against militancy and terrorism. The government signed a peace agreement effectively ceding control of the district to the local Taliban faction, allowing it to enforce its interpretation of Islamic law.

The Afghan War Ten Years On

sherry — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The end of the first decade of the Afghan War has not been ignored in the media, but it has been largely ignore at the policy level. It has almost dropped out of sight in terms of Presidential and Congressional attention, and seems to have little interest to most Republican Presidential candidates.

Pakistan - Violence Versus Stability

ian — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Pakistan is passing through one of the most dangerous periods in its history. An assessment of the growing patterns of violence and instability indicate that it may be approaching a perfect storm of threats, including rising extremism, a failing economy, chronic underdevelopment, and an intensifying war, resulting in unprecedented political, economic, and social turmoil.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Continuing Security Challenges For the United States

ian — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The US confronts a wide range of challenges if it is to win the Afghan conflict in any meaningful sense, and leave a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan:

Competition in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Pakistan

ian — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

US competition with Iran has become the equivalent of a game of three-dimensional chess, but a game where each side can modify at least some of the rules with each move.

The War in Afghanistan: The Real Lessons of the Attack in Kabul

ian — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

There is a growing tendency to cover the war in Afghanistan by chasing the headlines from event to event. The kind of coverage turns a tragic helicopter crash into a crisis, and does the same for a largely symbolic attack on the ISAF and Embassy compound in Kabul.

Confronting an Uncertain Threat

jdunton — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda and associated movements (AQAM) have become an increasingly diffuse security threat. Although the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands may have represented the epicenter of global terrorism in the past decade, al Qaeda’s various regional affiliates are growing in prominence.

Afghanistan Win or Lose: Transition and the Resource Crisis

ecurran — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The US confronts a wide range of challenges if it is leave a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan, to win the Afghan conflict in any meaningful sense:

U.S. Casualties in Afghanistan: The Need for Perspective

ian — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

There are good reasons to question whether we should stay in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Can Meaningful Transition Succeed?

sherry — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

It is easy to talk about transition in Afghanistan in broad conceptual terms. It is far harder to provide anything approaching a realistic set of strategic goals for such transition, and meaningful, detailed plans for accomplishing it.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Art of the Possible

jdunton — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On June 14, 2011, more than 200 policymakers and experts participated in an invitation-only, full-day working meeting at CSIS to discuss a constructive, realistic way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The main topics were Afghan governance, the Afghan security sector, and Pakistani cooperation.

Rethinking a Resource-Based Strategy

ian — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The US defense community is only beginning to address the full implications of the challenges it faces in terms of international economic competition and shrinking budgets.

Transitioning to a New Strategy: 2009-2010

ian — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a seven-part analytic overview of unclassified metrics, and of how their current content relates to the challenges in policy, plans, resources, and management of the war that now reduce the prospects of victory.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part 7: The Problem of Pakistan & the Probability of Grand Strategic Success

sherry — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a new report entitled The Problem of Pakistan and the Probability of Grand Strategic Success. It is available on the CSIS web site at http://csis.org/files/publication/110627_afghan_metrics_vii.pdf.

The War in Afghanistan: A Race Against Time, Resources, And The Enemy

sherry — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a report based on a recent trip to Afghanistan, and discussions with US officials and commanders. The full report is entitled The War in Afghanistan: A Race Against Time, Resources, and the Enemy. It is available on the CSIS web site at:

The Failures That Shaped (and Almost Lost) the Afghan War

ian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Governance and Militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan

ian — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The CSIS Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation (C3), formerly the PCR Project, has studied the link between the rise of nonstate armed groups (or militants, for the sake of simplicity) and the quality of local governance in Afghanistan and Pakistan: whether a link exists and, if so, what the United States can do about it, if anything.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Three: The Key Ongoing Challenges that Help shape the Outcome of the War

sherry — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a seven-part analytic overview of unclassified metrics, and of how their current content relates to the challenges in policy, plans, resources, and management of the war.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress : Part Five: Can Afghan Forces Be Effective By Transition?

sherry — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a new report entitled Can Afghan Forces Be Effective By Transition? It is available on the CSIS web site at http://csis.org/files/publication/110613_afghan_metrics_v.pdf

Preserving American Power

ian — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Is the “American Century” over? I am asked this question in nearly every meeting and interview. The context will vary. One group will cite America’s perilous fiscal situation where we borrow funds to unsustainable levels and refuse to come together politically to solve the problem. Others cite a soaring Chinese economy that may overtake us by the end of the decade.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Four: "Hold, Build, and Transition:" The Challenge of Development

sherry — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Ten years into the Afghan war, aid efforts are beginning to have a major impact in improving the capacity of the Afghan government, and have a new focus on realistic objectives to help Afghanistan recover from more than thirty years of crisis and conflict.

Pakistan: Violence vs. Stability

mentman — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Executive Summary

As the events surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden make all too clear, Pakistan is passing through one of the most dangerous periods of instability in its history. This instability goes far beyond Al Qa’ida, the Taliban, and the war in Afghanistan. A net assessment of the patterns of violence and stability indicate that Pakistan is approaching a perfect storm of threats, including rising extremism, a failing economy, chronic underdevelopment, and an intensifying war, resulting in unprecedented political, economic and social turmoil.

The Afghan War and the Problem of Pakistan

ian — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Pakistan presents a critical challenge to the United States in fighting the war in Afghanistan. The US, ISAF, and Afghan forces are making significant tactical progress, and realistic transition planning is beginning for the first time.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part 6: Victory is Possible but "Fragile and Reversible"

mentman — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Current Tactical Gains, Uncertain Strategic Value

The Soviet and U.S. Experiences in Military Intervention in Afghanistan and Current U.S.-Russian Cooperation

ian — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This paper was presented at a conference entitled "Carnegie Council's Program on U.S. Global Engagement: a Two-Year Retrospective."

After bin Laden: A Chance to Review the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship—without Distractions

rsickles — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The temptation by the United States is to visit immediate consequences on Pakistan for the alliance breaches related to Osama bin Laden. As former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf concluded on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition last Friday, the entire episode exposes either complicity or incompetence by Pakistan’s military, especially its security forces.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: The Status of the War in the Spring of 2011

mentman — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The war in Afghanistan is now approaching its tenth year. In spite of that fact, the US, allied countries, ISAF, and the UN have failed to develop adequate unclassified reporting on the progress of the war, to provide meaningful transparency on the problems and challenge it faces, and to provide a clear and detailed plan for the future.

Bin Laden's Gone: What Now for Defense Policy?

ian — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The death of Osama bin Laden (OBL) at the hands of U.S. special operations forces is a watershed moment for defense strategists. Like the 9/11 attacks, it isn’t really the beginning or end of anything new. The world didn’t change on 9/11. What did change was how the United States and its national security community perceived threats and their likelihood.

What Bin Laden's death means for U.S. policy

mentman — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

For most of the past decade, Osama bin Laden defined U.S. national security policy. Now that the man behind the 11 September 2001 attacks has finally been brought to justice, President Barack Obama has an opportunity to re-shape the direction of his foreign policy.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden, and the Shape of Threats to Come

mentman — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

No American -- or anyone else one who opposes violent, murderous terrorism -- can see Osama Bin Laden’s death as anything but just retribution. We need to be very cautious, however, in assuming that it will now damage Al Qa’ida and other Islamist extremist networks, or that we can predict the political and strategic consequences.

Afghanistan: A Stress Test for Transatlantic Security Cooperation

sherry — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Afghanistan has become a stress test for transatlantic cooperation in maintaining global stability. European solidarity with the United States in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001 was strong. However, differences between Washington and most European governments on the nature of

Measuring Perceptions about the Pashtun People

jdunton — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Afghanistan and Pakistan are sites of intense conflict—and intense international interest.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Five: Building Effective Afghan Forces

sherry — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The war in Afghanistan is now in its tenth year. In spite of that fact, the US, allied countries, ISAF, and the UN have failed to develop credible reporting in the progress of the war, provide meaningful transparency on the problems and challenge it faces, and a meaningful plan for the future.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Six: Showing Victory is Possible

sherry — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The war in Afghanistan is now in its tenth year. In spite of that fact, the US, allied countries, ISAF, and the UN have failed to develop credible reporting on the progress of the war, to provide meaningful transparency on the problems and challenge it faces, and a to provide a meaningful plan for the future.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Four: Hold and Build, and The Challenge of Development

sherry — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The war in Afghanistan is now in its tenth year. In spite of that fact, the US, allied countries, the ISAF, and the UN have failed to develop credible reporting in the progress of the war, provide meaningful transparency on the problems and challenge it faces, and a meaningful plan for the future.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Three: Key Ongoing Challenges

sherry — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part One: The US Failures That Shaped Today's War

sherry — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Drawing on Unclassified Official Reporting Lacking in Credibility and Transparency

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part Two: Transitioning to the New Strategy

sherry — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A Threat Transformed

jdunton — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Afghan Peace Talks as an Opportunity for Governance Reform

sherry — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

For the past four years, reports of talks between representatives of various Afghan insurgent factions and various Afghan government officials have been whispered among experts and insiders, but the volume of such reports has grown rapidly in the media over the past year.