March 2009: With a sustained drawdown of troops from Iraq Afghanistan has become the focus of the West’s military engagements in the region. The initially well-supported response to the attacks of September 11th had lain neglected in the shadow of America’s ideological adventurism in the Middle East; and in the vacuum of political, military and economic commitment the overthrown Taliban have been resuscitated. But is the West’s renewed interest in Afghanistan too little, too late?
This Strategic Update assess the challenges that the Obama administration and its allies face in reconstituting the statebuilding mission in Afghanistan.
Contents
Introduction
Arne Westad
Director, LSE IDEAS and Professor of International History, London School of Economics
NATO Strategy - Building the Comprehensive Approach
Jamie Shea
Director of Policy Planning, NATO
The Pygmy who turned into a Giant: The Afghan Taliban in 2009
Antonio Giustozzi
Research Fellow, Crisis States Research Centre
Opium in Afghanistan: a reality check
Fabrice Pothier
Director, Carnegie Europe
Afghanistan - The Regional Dimension
Amalendu Misra
Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University