Afghanistan Weekly Reader: NATO Considers a Faster Drawdown
At the start of the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said that the transition to local security force in Afghanistan is on track. U.S. allies may not be so sure, however. The British ambassador to Afghanistan suggested in an interview that Western allies must shift “from hand-holding to…offering support as needed and required.” Meanwhile, the Secretary General of NATO has hinted that options for accelerating the drawdown are being considered. The possibility of a faster drawdown comes as the number of U.S. fatalities in Afghanistan reaches 2,000, a reminder of the blood and treasure spent on eleven years of war.
From ASG
10/2/12
Hiding in the war budget: billions for weapons upgrades
Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski
Bringing home and refurbishing or replacing equipment used in Afghanistan, a process known as “reset,” has been factored into the war budget for years. But the billions of dollars allocated for funding the reset have allowed the military to do much than transport equipment back from Afghanistan.
ARTICLES
10/1/12
Nato withdrawal from Afghanistan could be speeded up, says Rasmussen
The Guardian by Ian Traynor
The retreat of western forces from Afghanistan could come sooner than expected, the head of Nato has said as he conceded that the recent Taliban strategy of “green on blue” killings had been successful in sapping morale.
10/2/12
Afghanistan should be left ‘to get on with things’ – British ambassador
The Guardian by Nick Hopkins
The international community has been hand-holding Afghanistan for long enough and Kabul should now be left to get on with running the country without the west’s constant interference, the British ambassador in Kabul has said.
10/1/12
U.S. Abandoning Hopes for Taliban Peace Deal
The New York Times by Matthew Rosenberg and Rod Nordland
With the surge of American troops over and the Taliban still a potent threat, American generals and civilian officials acknowledge that they have all but written off what was once one of the cornerstones of their strategy to end the war here: battering the Taliban into a peace deal.
10/1/12
$3 billion task: Getting gear home
The Marine Corps Times by Bethany Crudele
The task of transporting equipment out of Afghanistan is colossal, and the ground reset process is expected to cost the Corps an estimated $3.2 billion.
OPINION
10/2/12
Afghanistan: We’re Out of Reasons
The Huffington Post by Joseph Blady
The only thing wrong with the departure date is that it is so far in the future. No one who supports the war can give a clear picture of what Afghanistan might look like in three to five years if we stayed, but I suspect we know anyway.
10/4/12
A framework to end the Afghan war
The Washington Post by David Ignatius
Given the dead end in Afghanistan, you might think that the war there — and strategies for ending it — would be a big topic in the U.S. presidential campaign. But sadly, soldiers and diplomats continue to operate in a political vacuum, and the candidates act as if the brutal Afghanistan conflict will somehow solve itself.
10/4/12
Withdraw from Afghanistan
NorthJersey.com by Madelyn Hoffman
So have eight years of drone strikes, $570 billion for 11 years in Afghanistan and more than 2,000 casualties been worth it? We say “No.” Public opinion in the United States is strong for immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan.
