By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* The three-track strategy did not proceed as intended when it was implemented. The Afghan Government remained as corrupt as ever. Its leader, the Afghan President, disagreed with numerous components of the strategy and did not (or could not) fully cooperate. At local levels, in areas cleared by the military, the…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘The Riedel report, though, made one thing clear: Unless Pakistan stopped sheltering the Taliban, our efforts at long-term stability in Afghanistan were bound to fail.’[1] President Obama Introduction In June 2011, President Barack Obama made the decision to withdraw the 30,000 US troops by the end of 2012, and the…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction In June, 2011, President Barack Obama made the decision to withdraw the 30,000 US troops by the end of 2012, and the rest by 2014. The decision, in effect, marked the beginning of the end of the US’s longest war, the Afghanistan War, highlighting a major  turning point in…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘[M]assive U.S. contracts to some of Kabul’s shadiest business operators undermined the very anti-corruption efforts designed to win over the Afghan people.’[1] President Obama Introduction In June, 2011, President Barack Obama made the decision to withdraw the 30,000 US troops by the end of 2012, and the rest by 2014.…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction In June, 2011, President Barack Obama made the decision to withdraw the 30,000 US troops by the end of 2012, and the rest by 2014. The decision, in effect, marked the beginning of the end of the US’s longest war, the Afghanistan War, highlighting a major  turning point in…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘Depending on who you talked to, our mission in Afghanistan was either narrow (wiping out al-Qaeda) or broad (transforming the country into a modern, democratic state that would be aligned with the West)…my first priority was to make sure our agencies…were aligned around a clearly defined mission and a coordinated…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘It’s fair to say, then, that by the third or fourth go-around of Power-Points slides, battlefield maps, and balky video feeds, along with the ever-present fluorescent lighting, bad coffee, and stale air, everyone was sick of Afghanistan, sick of meetings, and sick of one another.’[1]  President Obama on the decision-making…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘Did I not make myself clear about how I wanted time to evaluate McChrystal’s assessment? Or does your building just have a basic lack of respect for me?… Is it because I’m young and didn’t serve in the military? Is it because they [the military leaders] don’t like my politics…?’[1]…