Issue Brief posted February 22, 2013 by Luke Coffey
U.S. Should Back a Robust Afghan National Security Force
Overshadowed by the announcement in President Obama’s State of the Union address that 34,000 U.S. troops will be brought home from Afghanistan was an acknowledgement that the capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) need to improve. The U.S. should argue that the ANSF should not be reduced in numbers as currently planned, and the White House should press…
Issue Brief posted October 5, 2012 by Luke Coffey
NATO Must Refocus on Afghanistan
On October 9–11, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 28 defense ministers will meet in Brussels. The top priority for the United States at this ministerial meeting should be ensuring that NATO demonstrates resolve and commitment to Afghanistan—especially in light of the recent “green on blue” attacks. The Alliance needs to realize that reforms such as Smart Defense…
Testimony posted September 14, 2012 by Lisa Curtis
Combating the Haqqani Terrorist Network
Testimony before the
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade,
United States House of Representatives
September 13, 2012
My name is Lisa Curtis. I am Senior Research Fellow on South Asia at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own and should not…
White Paper posted July 17, 2012 by Walter Lohman, John Fleming, Robert Warshaw
Key Asian Indicators: A Book of Charts
America’s Enduring Leadership in Asia
America has been engaged in Asia since a few decades after securing its independence.
Its early interest is documented in the 1833 Treaty on Amity and Commerce between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Siam Thailand), and later in the market-opening 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan. The U.S. has, in fact, been a “resident…
Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Lisa Curtis
Pakistan Missed Opportunity to Repair Ties with U.S.
Pakistan missed a valuable opportunity to create goodwill with the U.S. and other NATO members when it failed to announce a reopening of NATO supply routes to Afghanistan at the summit held Sunday and Monday in Chicago. Not only has Pakistan’s closure of the supply routes over the past six months made the war effort more expensive for NATO members, but its failure to…
Backgrounder posted May 16, 2012 by Luke Coffey
The 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago: NATO in Need of American Leadership
Abstract: The 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago is an opportunity for the U.S. to provide much-needed leadership for NATO. The United States should push NATO members to keep their current commitments to Afghanistan and commit to supporting Afghanistan after NATO forces withdraw. At the Chicago Summit, the Obama Administration also needs to make the cases for transition,…
America at Risk Memo posted May 14, 2012 by Peter Brookes
Protect America from What?
A North Korean long-range ballistic missile launch into the Pacific Ocean, Russian threats of a preemptive strike against U.S. missile defenses in Europe, the Syrian regime’s continuing violence on protestors, and Taliban terrorist attacks in Afghanistan are just a few of the recent events that should serve to remind us that we are living in uncertain times…
Backgrounder posted April 26, 2012 by Lisa Curtis
The U.S. Must Move Cautiously on Taliban Reconciliation
Abstract: While President Obama is drawing down U.S. troops in Afghanistan, he is attempting to negotiate with the Taliban—despite the fact that the Taliban has renounced neither terrorism nor its support for al-Qaeda. If the Taliban is able to regain influence in Afghanistan without breaking ties with international terrorism, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups could…
Issue Brief posted March 1, 2012 by Lisa Curtis
U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan: Costs of Accelerating Troop Withdrawal Too High
The situation in Afghanistan has spiraled downward over the past 10 days, but before making hasty decisions on next steps in Afghanistan, U.S. policymakers need to consider what has contributed to this ominous turn of events and what options there are for adjusting the U.S. strategy to avoid further such incidents. U.S. policymakers should also be aware that leaving…
WebMemo posted December 16, 2011 by Lisa Curtis
Shifting Gears with Pakistan on Afghanistan
The Obama Administration has been banking on Pakistani cooperation with its strategy to start a political reconciliation process inside Afghanistan as it withdraws U.S troops from the battlefield and shifts responsibility for security operations to the Afghan forces. Pakistani leaders have demonstrated little interest in assisting the U.S. with such efforts, however, and…