RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, November 19, 2009, The Washington Times
On a recent weeklong visit to Afghanistan sponsored by the U.S. military, Michael O'Hanlon met with Afghan and U.S. officials whose assessments partially countered the current general outlook on the country's status and future. O'Hanlon's visit left him with guarded optimism about U.S. prospects for creating a safe and stable Afghanistan. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Daniel Kaufmann, November 18, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In reaction to news of brazen corruption in Afghanistan and the release of the new Corruption Perceptions Index, Daniel Kaufmann asks tough questions about the relationship between aid and corruption and suggests improvements in how development aid effectiveness is reviewed. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bruce Riedel, November 18, 2009, IBA News
In an interview with IBA News, Bruce Riedel discusses President Barack Obama's policy in Afghanistan, emphasizing that victory against Al Qaeda and the Taliban is crucial not only for the stability of Afghanistan itself, but also for Pakistan and the entire Islamic world. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, November 18, 2009, The Washington Times
On a recent weeklong visit to Afghanistan sponsored by the U.S. military, Michael O'Hanlon met with Afghan and U.S. officials whose assessments partially countered the current general outlook on the country's status and future. O'Hanlon's visit left him with guarded optimism about U.S. prospects for creating a safe and stable Afghanistan. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, November 16, 2009, The Washington Post
Lost in the ongoing Afghanistan debate is a promising effort to foster reform in building the Afghan police force, writes Michael O'Hanlon. Just back from a trip to the country, O'Hanlon notes several areas in which new efforts are encouraging and draws on lessons learned from reforms that occurred coincident with the 2007 surge in Iraq. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Matthew Frankel, November 03, 2009, The Daily Beast
Matthew Frankel compares Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from Afghanistan's runoff election to other electoral boycotts over the years. Based on independent research of 100 boycotts since 1990, Frankel concludes that they rarely work and often fracture the party involved. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, November 02, 2009, Room for Debate Blog
Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of the presidential vote in Afghanistan on November 2 and he was quickly warned that he must crack down on rampant corruption. Vanda Felbab-Brown joined several other experts to discuss what should be done about President Karzai's brother, Wali Karzai, who has been linked to Afghanistan's narcotics trade. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, October 31, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Michael O'Hanlon discusses Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from Afghanistan's presidential election runoff that was scheduled for November 7. O'Hanlon argues that while Afghan President Karzai can now be viewed as legitimate, although tainted, he is hardly out of the woods. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 29, 2009
3:00 PM to 5:15 PM
Washington, DC
On October 29, the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings, the Institute for Environmental Security, CNA, E3G and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion on the real dangers for conflicts and disputes resulting from resource shortages, water rights and natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, October 28, 2009, Fundación Real Instituto Elcano
Increased insecurity in Afghanistan and the sense that the counterinsurgency is not being won have left many looking for comparisons that can shape future policy. Vanda Felbab-Brown examines similarities between the counternarcotics and counterinsurgency efforts in Colombia to draw conclusions on how to reverse recent trends in Afghanistan. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, October 21, 2009, Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
In testimony before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Vanda Felbab-Brown discussed how narcotics production influences the security, political, and economic developments in Afghanistan. Felbab-Brown also examined the effectiveness of policies to mitigate these effects and offered recommendations for the future of U.S. policy on the issue. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bruce Riedel, October 21, 2009, Newsweek
Political violence in Pakistan is at its highest level in decades, with insurgent attacks on the rise and intensive government clashes with the Taliban in the country’s western provinces. In recent weeks in particular, attacks by Punjabi militant groups have increased dramatically. Bruce Riedel spoke with Newsweek's Andrew Bast and outlined this increasingly precarious situation in Pakistan as well as the prospects for future stability. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon and Stephen J. Solarz, October 19, 2009, The Washington Times
Congressional leaders and the Obama administration discussing "intermediate options" in Afghanistan, but could such an approach prove successful? Michael O’Hanlon and Stephen Solarz offer insight into what middle-ground steps General Stanley McChrystal is already taking and explain how an active U.S.-Afghan partnership is essential to providing security, safety and success in Afghanistan. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, October 16, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
President Obama's decision on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan is being portrayed as the most momentous of his young presidency. On October 16, Brookings hosted a discussion of the president's policy options for Afghanistan, drawing on experts with a diverse range of views. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, October 12, 2009, The Daily Beast
As the Afghanistan strategy debate continues, Vanda Felbab-Brown says policymakers should not be fooled by options that lie “in the middle” of a beefed-up counterinsurgency mission and a scaled-back counterterrorism operation. Felbab-Brown believes the United States and NATO must decide how important the stakes are, and either properly resource the current mission or cut losses now rather than later. Read More