Can Trump End the Never-Ending War?
Sixteen years into the war in Afghanistan, the Trump administration is preparing to finally win or go home trying.
The Pentagon is set to send an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the State Department is ready to shutter the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP). What is the strategy? What could it accomplish? And what would Brad Pitt think of all this?
The Pentagon is set to send an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the State Department is ready to shutter the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP). What is the strategy? What could it accomplish? And what would Brad Pitt think of all this?
On this week’s first episode of The E.R., Sharon Weinberger, Vikram Singh, Whitney Kassel, and Paul D. Miller discuss the delicate balance of time and resources in Afghanistan and offer some suggestions on what it would take to be successful in America’s longest war. Secretary of Defense James Mattis has promised to unveil a new plan next month. But what has the United States not yet tried already?
Vikram Singh is the vice president for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress (CAP). Prior to joining CAP in 2014, Singh served at the State Department as the deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and at the Pentagon as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia. Follow him on Twitter: @VJS_Policy.
Whitney Kassel is a FP columnist and foreign policy analyst. She previously spent four years with the secretary of defense, where she focused on special operations, counterterrorism, and Pakistan. Follow her on Twitter: @whitneykassel.
Paul D. Miller is the associate director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin. He previously served as director for Afghanistan and Pakistan on the National Security Council staff for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Follow him on Twitter: @PaulDMiller2.
Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World. Follow her on Twitter: @weinbergersa.
Tune in, now twice a week, to FP’s The E.R.
Subscribe to The E.R. and Global Thinkers podcasts on iTunes.
More from Foreign Policy
Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.
Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.
It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
