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← Older posts Newer posts →Afghanistan Weekly Reader: Drawdown Deadline Still Unclear
December 21, 2011The last US troops left Iraq this week, an encouraging sign toward the restoration of fiscal propriety in the Defense Department. The encouragement ends, however, when we turn our eye toward Afghanistan. If we are winning, as Secretary Panetta says we are, … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Tagged Afghanistan Weekly Reader, drawdown, timetable, War costs | Leave a commentPriorities and Perspective: Are we Reasonably Allocating our Resources in the Af-Pak Region
December 19, 2011Mary Kaszynski Afghanistan Study Group Blogger If you had to choose which country is the most strategically important – Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iran – you might have a hard time deciding. On the one hand we have Pakistan: Population 175 … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Uncategorized | Tagged Afghanistan government, defense spending, economy, Iran, Pakistan, strategy | 1 CommentAfghanistan Weekly Reader: High Costs, Uncertain Progress
December 15, 2011Speaking to the troops in Afghanistan this week, Defense Secretary Gates was optimistic about our chances of success. “We’re moving in the right direction and we’re winning this very tough conflict,” Sec. Gates said. In fact, whether we’re winning in … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Tagged Afghanistan Weekly Reader, defense spending, drawdown, War costs | Leave a commentWeighing (War) Costs Versus Benefits
December 13, 2011Mary Kaszynski Afghanistan Study Group Blogger In a recent Politico op-ed, Michael O’Hanlon (Brookings) and John Nagl (CNAS) wrote that “our odds of attaining at least the core of our strategic goals [in Afghanistan] are reasonably good if we remain … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | 1 CommentThe Black Hole of Afghanistan Infrastructure Projects
December 9, 2011Mary Kaszynski Afghanistan Study Group Blogger Two foreign invasions for a total of three decades of war have largely taken their toll on Afghanistan infrastructure – there isn’t much left. And what remains is only partially usable, according to a … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Tagged Afghanistan government, COIN, defense spending, economy, nation building | 2 CommentsAfghanistan Weekly Reader: No Answers at Bonn
December 7, 2011In Afghanistan this week, suicide attacks targeting Shia Muslims left at least 58 dead. Experts say the unprecedented attacks may be an attempt to spark sectarian violence. Meanwhile, in Bonn, world leaders (minus Pakistan) met to discuss Afghanistan’s future post-2014. … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Leave a commentMerkley Amendment Update
December 1, 2011Mary Kaszynski Afghanistan Study Group Blogger Yesterday, the Senate passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act calling for an expedited drawdown from Afghanistan. As we noted before, the amendment, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley and a sponsored by … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Tagged continuation, debate, drawdown | 1 CommentAfghanistan Weekly Reader: Quagmire in the Asia Pacific
November 30, 2011It was a tough week for US efforts/forces in Afghanistan. After a NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the border with Afghanistan, US-Pakistan relations further soured, with the result that Pakistan has pulled out of the international conference … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Leave a commentThe Afghanistan War’s Costly Refrain
November 28, 2011Mary Kaszynski Afghanistan Study Group Blogger “We can win in Afghanistan, we just need more time and money.” It’s a favorite line of those in favor of prolonging the Afghanistan war. CFR’s Max Boot especially enjoys this refrain recently writing … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Tagged defense spending, economy, strategy | Leave a commentWhere is GOP fiscal responsibility on the Afghanistan War?
November 23, 2011Mary Kaszynski Afghanistan Study Group Blogger Last night’s foreign policy debate saw little in the way of surprises. The Republican presidential candidates postured on Iran and Israel, argued immigration laws, and even discussed racial profiling. Substantive discussion of Afghanistan, however, … Continue reading
Posted in Blog | Tagged debate, drawdown, withdraw | Leave a comment ← Older posts Newer posts →