April 12, 2010
The Economic Imperative: Stabilizing Afghanistan Through Economic Growth
In this policy brief, CNAS CEO Nate Fick and co-author Clare Lockhart, CEO at the Institute for State Effectiveness, argue that smart execution of the American strategy in Afghanistan depends on tapping into Afghanistan’s economic potential and empowering Afghans to foster economic development in their own country – including bolstering entrepreneurial activity, foreign investment and building infrastructure – and should be pursued simultaneously with the overall counterinsurgency strategy.
The Economic Imperative: Stabilizing Afghanistan through Economic Growth argues that U.S. and ISAF operations in the country currently have an “economic gap,” and, while lack of attention to economic dimensions are numerable and justified, development is an imperative component to sustainable security and must be pursued.
“Harnessing the potential of the Afghan people to succeed on Afghan terms through Afghan institutions will reinforce stability as it spreads from areas cleared of insurgents, will give more Afghans a stake in the future of their country, and provides the only path to national self-sufficiency,” write the authors.
The international community should also help catalyze a number of existing development initiatives that produce tangible benefits quickly for Afghans, including microfinance and public works programs, the National Solidarity Program, and OPIC-offered risk guarantees to potential investors, and:
- Revitalize the role of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
- Support the creation of a National Task Force for job development and training.
- Reaffirm the significance of Afghanistan’s economic ministries.
- Create a global task force to identify gaps in strategy, financing mechanisms and to explore and set up additional financial instruments.
Authors
-
Clare Lockhart
-
Nathaniel C. Fick
More from CNAS
-
What Afghanistan Can Teach Us About Fighting Coronavirus
Commentary
As worried Americans look for answers in the midst of a global pandemic, it is no surprise that many have turned to the symbols and language of war. Public officials from Gove...
By Pat A. Basu & Dr. Jason Dempsey
-
Walk Away from the Taliban, Not Afghanistan
Podcast
General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Retired) and Vance Serchuk speak with ISW Founder and President Dr. Kimberly Kagan on the dangers of the U.S. deal with the Taliban. Liste...
By David H. Petraeus & Vance Serchuk
-
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
