January 12, 2019
Afghanistan Strategy on Stage: Five Key Questions for the Administration
The upcoming congressional testimony of the administration’s national security team on Afghanistan may be the most pivotal since September 2007, when General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified about the “surge” in Iraq. At that time, Crocker and Petraeus appeared before skeptical congressional committee members, many of whom were unconvinced by reported progress in Iraq and unsure about the way forward. The testimony galvanized media attention and helped turn the political debate in Washington away from considerations of troop withdrawals.
Similarly, the testimony of Obama administration officials about the way ahead in Afghanistan will garner enormous attention from Congress, the American people, and others around the world. Whether their words will alter the political dynamic on this critical issue remains to be seen; what is certain is that the world will listen closely for indications of U.S. intentions and resolve. As this testimony takes shape, Congress and the administration should consider five key questions.
Read the full paper.
More from CNAS
-
Can America Trust the Taliban to Prevent Another 9/11?
Commentary
For nearly 20 years, the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan has been sustained by a single, vital national interest: the clear and present danger of another September 11–like at...
By David H. Petraeus & Vance Serchuk
-
The Afghan peace deal and its eerie parallels with Vietnam
Commentary
Last month marked a potential turning point in America’s 19-year war in Afghanistan. In signing a landmark peace agreement, the United States and the Taliban paved the way for...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Veterans Of Afghanistan Conflict React To Negotiations Between U.S. And Taliban
Podcast
Afghanistan war veterans react to the U.S.-Taliban accord signed over the weekend — one that would start an American troop withdrawal. Listen to the full conversation o...
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
-
Countering Terrorists From Afghanistan to Cyberspace
Podcast
From serving as a counterterrorism analyst for the Pentagon in Afghanistan to working on security issues at Facebook, Kara Frederick has spent her entire career confronting Am...
By Kara Frederick & Ilan Goldenberg
