The Afghanistan Weekly Reader: Afghanistan Questions Continue
Admiral Mike Mullen’s statement before the Senate Armed Service Committee that the Haqqani network “is, in many ways, a strategic arm of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency” precipitated some heated debates. Setting aside the implications for the US-Pakistan relationship, Mullen’s comments also highlighted ongoing questions about the US strategy in Afghanistan–what we’ve achieved after ten years and billions of dollars, whether the war is winnable, and whether we can afford to stay. The news from this week reflects these questions, and growing concerns that investing billions in Iraq and Afghanistan may not be effective.
FROM ASG
9-27-11
Iraq and Afghanistan War Costs Part 1: The Pace of Our Afghanistan Drawdown
Afghanistan Study Group Blog by Mary Kaszynski
President Obama’s plan to withdraw 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and 23,000 more by next summer was a moderate but welcome beginning. We’ve already started to see war spending fall as a result: the request for fiscal year 2012 was $118 billion, a 26% drop from the 2011 total of $159 billion, and the lowest level since 2005.
ARTICLES
9-20-11
U.S., other donors supported 90 percent of Afghan budget over five years, GAO finds
Washington Post by Jason Ukman
It’s no surprise that the Afghan government is dependent on foreign aid to function. But it’s striking to contemplate just how dependent it has become. According to a new analysis by the Government Accountability Office, the United States and other donors funded 90 percent of Afghanistan’s total public expenditures from 2006 to 2010. In fiscal 2010, the Kabul government’s entire domestic revenues came out to about $1.6 billion.
9-26-11
U.S. troops leaving Iraq, but U.S. presence there just ramping up
National Journal by Yochi Dreazen
The current debate between Washington and Baghdad focuses on whether to leave 3,000-5,000 troops in Iraq. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad, by contrast, will soon employ more than 16,000 people across the country, though not all will be American citizens.
9-26-11
Growing Afghanistan Doubts
TIME’s Battleland by Mark Thompson
Concern inside the U.S. military that Afghanistan is not going to end well is heating up. It’s always been simmering, but now seems to be coming to a slow boil. Lately, at least in private conversations with officers up and down the chain, the concerns are becoming louder.
9-25-11
Brutal Haqqani Crime Clan Bedevils U.S. in Afghanistan
New York Times by Mark Mazzetti, Scott Shane and Alissa J. Rubin
They are the Sopranos of the Afghanistan war, a ruthless crime family that built an empire out of kidnapping, extortion, smuggling, even trucking…Today, American intelligence and military officials call the crime clan known as the Haqqani network — led by a wizened militant named Jalaluddin Haqqani who has allied himself over the years with the C.I.A., Saudi Arabia’s spy service and Osama bin Laden — the most deadly insurgent group in Afghanistan.
OPINION
9-23-11
Pakistan Becomes the Recipe for Endless War in Afghanistan
National Interest by Malou Innocent
Adm. Mike Mullen, America’s top military officer, accused Pakistan of being behind the recent attack on the American embassy in Afghanistan. This is a bit too convenient. As the United States prepares to withdraw most of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, it seems that fighting Pakistan by proxy will become Washington’s new reason to stay.
