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Philip Murphy: The US Ambassador to Germany spoke at atlantic-community.org’s event in Berlin about transparency for NATO in the 21st century, how the Atlantic Memo provides a “good solid policy report” on this important issue, and the value of youth engagement in transatlantic relations.
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NATO: More than half the casualties among the NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2011 were caused by improvised explosive devices (IED). This is also the case for one in three Afghans killed last year. In 2010, NATO adopted an action plan on counter-IED (C-IED) aimed at increasing the detection and neutralization of such devices, as well as the dismantling of the networks that manufacture them.
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Editorial Team: Join Atlantic Community for our first Question & Answer session of 2012. NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy James Appathurai will be taking your questions on NATO partnerships and regional initiatives, and answering in a video response.
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Shafiq Hamdam: As an Afghan citizen I am grateful to NATO for the huge improvements in security, economic development, governance, democracy and human rights in the last ten years. Do you think the investment was worth the human and financial costs? Is the world safer compared to 2001? Here are twelve reasons why my answer is “Yes!” What is your answer?
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Jason Naselli: Could the structures of ISAF be transformed into a peacebuilding force for missions in other conflict zones when it leaves Afghanistan? Proponents say it could harness the operational ties forged over the past 10 years into an effective solution for peacekeeping and global governance problems, but detractors say it is unfeasible and unwise.
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Ambassador Philip Murphy: Afghanistan is headed in the right direction: violence is down, the Afghan Army is growing in capacity, and the signs of community development are already visible. This has been made possible by the international commitment, and the ISAF soldiers and ordinary Afghans working to rebuild the country deserve our continuing support.
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NATO: Can NATO still succeed in Afghanistan before the ISAF mission is set to withdraw in 2014? If so, what will it take? NATO has undertaken a large number of interventions beyond its borders since the Berlin Wall came down; but is it likely to do the same in the future, and what are the lessons learned from Afghanistan that could make these interventions more successful and productive?
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Kristian A. Kennedy: NATO’s burden-sharing problems have dampened Canada’s enthusiasm for the Alliance. After five years in southern Afghanistan, Canada now turns its area of responsibility in Kandahar over to a predominantly American contingent.
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Tom Koenigs: We need a civilian development strategy that does not require the presence of foreign troops. Each project must be able to function without international assistance. Projects must be smaller, be less “hard” (infrastructure, economic development), and be “softer” (e.g., education, supporting civil society).
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Joerg Wolf & Elias Gladstone: Despite significant popular opposition to the Afghanistan war, most European NATO member states continue to send troops into harms way. The US media and strategic community, however, often downplays Europe’s role in the country, case in point Professor Russell Berman from the Hoover Institution.
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UPDATE from Ambassador Sedwill: NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill responds to questions and comments from Atlantic Community’s members regarding the outcomes of the International Conference on Afghanistan and related issues.
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Karsten M. Jung: If little substantial progress was made in Afghanistan under General McChrystal’s command, then that is not primarily due to any significant conceptual shortcomings of the ‘comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign’, but to a lack of political commitment on the part of the Afghans and the coalition.
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Die Atlantic Community Redaktion: In einer gemeinsamen Kampagne setzen sich Bild.de und atlantic-community.org für die über 4.000 Soldaten der Bundeswehr in Afghanistan ein. Damit sie für ihren riskanten Einsatz mehr moralische Unterstützung erfahren, können Sie ihnen jetzt elektronische Feldpost senden.
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UPDATE from Ambassador Sedwill: NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill has answered your questions. Please find below the open dialogue between the Ambassador and members of atlantic-community.org.
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Hubertus Hoffman: President Karzai should be removed from the line of fire by going into exile in Europe. His inability to reconcile with the Taliban, 2009’s fraudulent election, and his poor reputation in Pakistan all indicate why he should be leave his position. Afghanistan needs a fresh start with a new government.
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Stefanie Babst: Although NATO and women are not two words that typically go together, the organization is taking a number of actions to increase the representation of women both in policy and on the ground. NATO is an active supporter of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
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Anders Fogh Rasmussen: After the London conference, NATO was accused of trying to achieve peace by bribing the Taliban. In this video, the NATO Secretary General says that this is not the case, and that reconciliation and re-integration efforts will provide an alternative path to the Afghan people.
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Memo 22: Atlantic-community.org has developed several policy recommendations regarding the international mission in Afghanistan. Members agree that improving the functioning of the state is necessary and that better governance, empowering local institutions must be one of ISAF’s primary goals.
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Editorial Team: In preparation for the upcoming Atlantic Memo, the editorial staff would like to invite atlantic-community.org members to participate in an analysis of the mission in Afghanistan. Please contribute by answering the highlighted questions and giving concrete recommendations and/or policy suggestions. We welcome your input!
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Editorial Team: Though there have already been 15 NATO casualties in January 2010, the outlook on the ground is improving. According to a recent poll conducted by BBC and its affiliates throughout Afghanistan, support for foreign troops is on the rise; and the number of Taliban supporters has drastically fallen. Is the ISAF mission moving in the right direction?
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Ulf Gartzke: The new leadership of the SPD is strengthening its pacifist position on the Afghan war. Party Chair Gabriel’s plans to solicit policy input from the party base is a thinly veiled attempt to gain convenient political cover to orchestrate a volte-face on Afghanistan.
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Editorial Team: In order to meet the ambitious growth targets for 2010, NATO has launched a new mission to put the training of all security and police forces under one roof.
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NATO: As the insurgency persists the message from NATO is clear: although lasting longer than anticipated, ISAF’s aims will be achieved and prove sustainable in the long term.
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Péter Marton: Euro-discourse often derides Americans for not recognizing “complexity” around them. The opposite is true in Afghanistan. The European countries present in the North are not particularly interested in learning a lot about the social context they are operating in, and they are generally slow to adapt to changes in their area of operations.
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Raffaello Pantucci: Greater coordination on Central-South Asia would be a boon to European and US interests in the region. Unfortunately, such coordination is still lacking and we are unlikely to see a greater push from the EU. More European involvement in any sort of “civilian surge” would be welcome, but will be unrealistic until the security situation is stabilized.
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Assem Akram: It is time for strategy overhaul in Afghanistan. The size of the Afghan army must be dramatically increased; foreign troops should lock down borders; Pakistan must become a partner in providing solutions in Afghanistan; and the Afghan government needs top-to-bottom reform. Progress can only come with security.
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Tim Foxley: Too little time, effort and analytical resources are dedicated to understanding what the Taliban are saying - and that a change in this approach could lead to a change in the war.
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NATO Channel: Afghanistan’s symbolic Highway 1 is coming under increased attacks from insurgents placing explosives in bridges and culverts. These attempts to disrupt this important route for both commerce and the movement of people can only be countered through coordinated efforts from ISAF and the Afghan people.
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William Maley: In the battle to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan, Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are often on the front line. What are they actually, what are their tasks and ways of operating?
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NATO Channel: Two video reports give an insight into the encouraging development of Afghanistan’s security forces as the take-over from foreign forces begins to be consolidated.
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Bernhard Lucke: The US and NATO should develop exit strategies instead of increasing their military presence in Afghanistan. Winning back tribal leaders’ allegiance is the key to successfully drawing down troops. Western policy makers can learn many valuable lessons from the Soviet failure in Afghanistan.
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Nicholas Lunt: ISAF and NATO have tried to speak to Afghans directly in their own language. Previous communication, even when assisted by locals, has led to misunderstandings and conflict. The solution would be to empower locals to speak for ISAF and NATO directly.
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Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): Bringing food to millions of Afghans can have both strategic and humanitarian results. An operation styled on the Berlin Airlift could also bring new actors to Afghanistan. Likewise, it might be a necessity for keeping the Afghan government afloat, since access to food during famine can determine political allegiances.
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Memo 9: Afghanistan needs a continued international commitment to ensure its security and assist in economic and social development. The US, EU and Germany must focus on training local authorities. Cooperating with Iran and the Taliban remains a point of debate.
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Morgan Sheeran: Europe can contribute to progress in Afghanistan outside of the military arena: mentoring Afghan ministry officials, instilling policies of good governance, and developing the Afghan economy could ultimately provide as much security as any troop contribution.
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Florian Broschk: Extending the German ISAF mandate requires a broad public debate on the mission’s goals and strategies in Afghanistan. Germany must recognize the importance of counterinsurgency and improve a variety of its tactics - human intelligence, language training, and a greater troop presence.
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Abbas Daiyar: The Afghan Foreign Minister’s statement opposing talks with insurgents emphasizes existing divisions within government circles in Afghanistan and abroad. The US and NATO must win the war in Afghanistan. Involving regional countries like Russia, China and India may prevent history from repeating itself.
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Morgan Sheeran: The Afghans have to secure their own country. The army has benefitted from Western training, but the police continues to lack active mentoring from ISAF. While a surge of combat troops in Afghanistan could be beneficial, what is needed the most are more police trainers and mentors. The police is the lynchpin of security for each village.
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Djörn Eversteijn: Afghanistan is the litmus test for the relevance of history’s most successful military alliance in the 21st century. Despite official statements that emphasize the importance of the alliance’s mission in Afghanistan, both member states’ long-term commitment and substantial contributions to the mission remain largely absent. Member states’ unwillingness not only endangers the future of Afghanistan, but, perhaps even more importantly, also puts the future of the transatlantic alliance at risk.
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Marek Swierczynski: The Georgian war diverted the world’s attention from Afghanistan. But events on the ground, implications of the conflict in the Caucasus and political turmoil in neighboring Pakistan make imminent the perspective of NATO snared in a war that cannot be won. A new strategy is urgently needed.
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Eva Diez: The Spanish government asserts its soldiers are only involved in humanitarian operations. But in Afghanistan their main mission is to enable the US to realize its own strategic plans. Now is the right time for Spain to define and press for its own interests.
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Péter Marton: Afghanistan needs an external security guarantee for the long term. NATO should provide that guarantee against clashing external influence-seeking endeavours, but it can only do so it if it sheds its geopolitical identity for the Afghan mission. That is how a neutral strategic identity could be secured for Afghanistan.
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Hans Binnendijk: The consequences of failure in Afghanistan would be severe. I offer three points to help European governments make the case for continued participation in the NATO ISAF mission.
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Memo 3: Members of the Atlantic Community question German participation in OEF, support ISAF and want increased emphasis on social issues in Afghanistan. In this Executive Summary, Annette Poelking of the Atlantic Initiative has more on members’ ideas for Afghanistan and an update on the ongoing debate.
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Niklas Keller: of the Atlantic Initiative recommends transparent negotiations with the Taliban and local pro-Taliban groups, in order to help curb insurgent violence in Afghanistan.
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GM Roper: If Germany expects US help in the future, it must stay the course in Afghanistan now. The Bundeswehr should carry its share of the coalition burden without complaint as part of OEF.
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Niels Annen: I question the sustainability of Operation Enduring Freedom. And I see deteriorating coordination between ISAF and OEF and asks whether it is time to choose between the two.
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Global Must Read Articles
Although the latest string of “green-on-blue” attacks is becoming the new face of war in Afghanistan, the older face, IEDs, still account for 59% of US casualties. ++ The US military has taken two contradictory approaches: investing in high-tech solutions to detect IEDs (pressuring the Taliban to produce more instead); having more dismounted patrols so as to build rapport with the locals
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Australia’s role in Afghanistan is often questioned by “the progressive Left and hard-headed strategists”, who believe in an early withdrawal from Afghanistan. ++ However, they fail to realize that a stable Afghanistan is crucial to Australian interests, both because of its commitment to human rights and its stake in obstructing a broader regional meltdown which otherwise would have
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Starting in October, Berlin wants its troops to go on the offensive in northern Afghanistan in order to clear the area of insurgents. ++ This operation is intended to help make the handover next year go more smoothly. ++ This plan comes in response to allied misgivings that Germany “is too passive in the face of a growing insurgency.” ++ With its first major military engagement abroad
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The war in Afghanistan costs $100 billion annually and requires the deployment of 100,000 NATO troops – but why must it be fought? ++ The West is trapped in an incomprehensible war, justified by a counter-insurgency theory that leaders are unable to refute and incapable of actualizing. ++ Global theories are intellectually appealing, but they do not win wars. ++ NATO must finally
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General Stanley McChrystal is set to announce a new strategy for Afghanistan at the Munich Security Conference in February; and in the process, he will shake up the Bundeswehr’s operations within ISAF. ++ The Commander of all international troops is asking for a fundamental change in German engagement. ++ Their overly cautious approach has created a situation in which troops are too
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The road to more
security and stability in Afghanistan runs exclusively through Pakistan. Only
if the Pakistani leadership manages to avoid the collapse of political order
and the stem the march of the Taliban out of the northwest of the country will
peace in Afghanistan have a real chance. US President Obama and his foreign
policy team have finally realized this reality. Supporting the
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This year the international community could achieve a major breakthrough in the anti-drug war being waged in Afghanistan. The last two years have witnessed large surpluses in drug production resulting in falling prices and stockpiling of poppy seeds. A decline in poppy cultivated areas is expected for this year. James Townsend, UN advisor in Afghanistan, sees this a unique chance: strengthened
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Obama’s proposed “mini-surge” in Afghanistan of some 15,00 troops will not provide enough personnel for the job. ++ Iraq, a smaller country than Afghanistan, required 700,000 soldiers and security forces; there are only 200,000 in Afghanistan. ++ Robert Gates will aid the Afghans in doubling their military size to 200,000, yet more will eventually be needed. ++ Investing American money, beyond
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Operations in Afghanistan are hamstrung by limitations placed on forces from different nations. ++ Many willing to provide troops lack money or have political constraints. ++ Soldiers are needed not only on the battlefield but also to train security forces, yet “our own security toolbox must be equipped with more than just hammers.” ++ Coordination with EU, NGOs and Afghan government is needed,
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Seven years of war, occupation and reconstruction efforts have not improved the situation in Afghanistan. ++ A lack of security, stability and economic development dominates the political agenda. ++ To succeed in Afghanistan the conception of the ISAF as a reconstruction and OEF as a war mission has to end. ++ Financial resources have to be reorganized; too much is wasted due to mismanagement. ++
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Military victory in Afghanistan is achievable, but are we “willing to pay the high cost?” ++ Chura Valley in Uruzgan province is secure thanks to a Dutch reconstruction team, while in a nearby valley snipers reign. ++ This is a microcosm of Afghanistan. ++ ISAF is facing a new, resilient Taliban, drawn from diverse sources. ++ A military surge is needed to quell restive regions,
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If the US goes ahead with its plan to take the war on terror into Pakistan, Pakistani army will loose its credibility and may end up caught up between American troops and al-Quaeda.++ Weakening Pakistani army would backfire on the campaign against terror and make further attacks inside America much more probable. ++ Only the government in Islamabad has a full understanding of the situation on the
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Senior Afghan official, Mohammad Z. Wahdats is skeptical that there would be less stability in Afghanistan’s north without the Germans. ++ “For the issue of security, we don’t need them any more. We solve all our problems by ourselves.” ++ Wahdats also calls the German training of the Afghan National Police a failure ++ Germans overstate their engagement and effectiveness in the north and their
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Troops in Afghanistan amount to a mere 10% of the contingent needed. ++ Quarrelling over NATO policy issues is preventing gathering the necessary means to effectively tackle terrorism and the Taliban. ++ While French, German and Greek troops are comfortably in the North “where the main threat they face is boredom,” their politicians are willing to take charge, but not to shoulder the war’s
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