Afghan Exit:why, how and more in country and beyond

[Dayuhan]

In May 2012 a hitherto unknown US think tank the Center for National Policy (CNP) published a short paper on a strategy for NATO; one of the co-authors is Ryan Evans, whose work I have cited before

This makes pretty good sense as far as I can see, and I can find little to argue with in it. I would point out that "enduring support" will have to walk a thin line between a desire not to fund corruption and acceptance of the reality that it is a patronage-based political culture and no Afghan central government can endure without indulging in a level of patronage that we will consider corrupt. How far we're willing to let that go before restricting aid will have to be worked out as we go along.

Of course this strategy can fail, but that will ultimately be in the hands of Afghans, as it must be.

[jcustis]

• The United States and NATO allies will provide enduring material and political support to the Afghan state in order to ensure sufficient stability around Kabul, the north, and the west and prevent transnational terrorist networks from operating from Afghanistan.

I like most elements, but not this one. Material support aimed at Kabul runs the risk of being squandered, and so it needs to be very clearly defined. I doubt we can do that in a satisfactory, honest way.

[davidbfpo]

A neat article on an issue some may prefer not being in the open; which opens with:

One of the outcomes of the current US-Afghan summit in Washington reported by Afghan media is the apparent emergence of a new Afghan special operations force, the “Foundation Force for Afghanistan”. Still there is no official confirmation of this. Our guest blogger Gary Owen(*) writes, however, that this would be very much in line with the US emphasis on Afghan SOF training and partnership and, when involving private military contractors, would enable the US to maintain direct influence over Afghan SOF while still withdrawing troops.

Link:http://www.aan-afghanistan.org/index.asp?id=3199

I noted the re-appearance of Blackwater PMC, now known as Academi.

A longer backgrounder, by the same author:http://www.aan-afghanistan.org/index.asp?id=3069