US President Obama’s decision to send 30k troops to Afghanistan will ‘determine the outcome of the eight-year U.S. engagement in Afghanistan and perhaps even the broader state-building process.’ The fresh troop surge points to ‘gradual expansion of the international military mission under McChrystal’s strategy.’ Even the American general thinks that this move ‘isn’t an end in itself, but intended to provide a buffer for the state-building process to gain ground amidst difficult security conditions.’

Before the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan was officially made by the Obama administration, key issues are said to have been imperative in the decision-making process.

While the election crisis was not completely resolved and the Karzai administration prevailed, though tainted with electoral fraud, Hamid Karzai ‘should be urged to form an inclusive national unity government. This will help to minimize the chance of more lasting political fissures within Afghanistan.’

Corollary to that should be the creation of a process of national reconciliation. ‘A domestic process of reconciliation is needed that will reach out both to receptive elements of the Taliban movement and disgruntled factional actors. This will involve not only talks with militant groups, but dialogue with traditional leaders and authorities at the local level, actors who have often felt alienated from political happenings in Kabul but whose participation in Afghan political life is crucial for the country’s stability.’

The political process, democratic in tenor, should be renewed and pursued in the country. ‘Realistic benchmarks and objectives linked to clear indicators or metrics to assess progress’ should be set. ‘The benchmarks should cover everything from progress to improving basic development indicators and improving state revenue generating capacity to assessments of the reach of the public administration and public perceptions toward state security institutions.’

There should be efforts for Afghanistan to ‘establish a framework for regional cooperation, not only with its immediate neighbors but also regional powers like Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States.’

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is key to the country’s political and domestic sustainability and, thus, should be expanded. This move ‘would certainly expedite the handover of security responsibility from international forces to the ANSF, saving billions of donor dollars and countless U.S. and NATO troop lives. It will also give the Afghan state a basic building block of statehood that it presently lacks, a monopoly over the use of force.’

Image

Via Foreign Policy in Focus