What has worked in Afghanistan. – Slate Magazine
Soldiers operating under NATO command interact with Afghan boys of the Pashtun tribe near the Morghan-Khecha village in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 8, 2012.
Tony Karumba/AFP/GettyImages
There is a clich about Afghanistan that custom dictates must be included in every TV appearance, column, and book about that land: It is the graveyard of empires. From Alexander the Greats Greeks, to the Persians, to the British, to the Soviets, to the Americans, nation after nation has tried (and largely failed) to invade and pacify the mountainous country and its people. This history shapes Americas inheritance today: both the reality on the ground for American forces in Afghanistan and the perceptions of our allies (particularly those with experience there, like the British) of possible outcomes.
Nonetheless, this broad brushstroke version of history ignores a number of important cases where foreign powers have found successalbeit often fleetingin Afghanistan. There is a pattern to these successes: They are typically modest efforts that do not attempt to remake Afghanistan but rather achieve certain discrete, well-defined ends. And significantly, there is some overlap between this pattern and the policy articulated (albeit in an opaque manner) by President Trump on Monday night, that the U.S. might have a glimmer of hope as it approaches its 17th year of fighting in Afghanistan.
Four examples of limited success in the modern era are worth revisiting, in part because of their lessons for America today, and in part because each carried complications that only became apparent over the long term.
The first is Americas legendary sponsorship of the Afghan mujahedeen who beat back the Soviet invasion between 1979 and 1988. This covert effort began with small amounts of support funneled through various middlemen (including Pakistans shadowy security apparatus) and grew into billions of dollars of money, sophisticated weapons (like Stinger missiles capable of shooting down Russian helicopters), and technical assistance. What made this effort so successful was its narrow goalinflicting Soviet casualties in the context of the Cold Warand the simple truth that its easier to support an insurgency than a counterinsurgency, especially when that insurgency is playing on its home turf. However, after this insurgency pushed out the Soviets, the U.S. washed its hands of this support. Over time, parts of this rebel movement would evolve into al-Qaida and the Taliban, with major long-term repercussions for the U.S.
The lesson of the past 16 years may be that lofty goals are beyond our reach.
A second, slightly older example of success in Afghanistan is the massive development efforts undertaken there during the mid-20th century by the U.S. and Soviet Union as the two superpowers competed for Afghan affection and allegiance. Just as it had for centuries before, Afghanistans strategic location on the Soviet Unions periphery, between Iran and Pakistan atop historic trading routes, made it matter to each country. During the Cold War, the U.S. poured hundreds of millions of dollars into agricultural and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, only to see those projects crumble over nearly four decades of continuous war. It was this crumbling infrastructure that U.S. forces would inherit and attempt to patch up over the past 16 years of war. Some of these projects were eerily similar to those pursued more recently. An effort to dam the Helmand River in Southern Afghanistan, partially completed in the 1950s, would be repeated again and again by the U.S. Agency for International Development after 2001. Some of these projects actually worked, improving Afghan lives and economic activity for decades. In those days, Afghanistan was a poor but stable, developing, and optimistic country. However, those successes occurred only when violence was absent and where these projects aligned with local political, economic, and geographic conditions.
The third and fourth examples of success come from Americas more recent long war in Afghanistan. The third mirrors the CIAs support for Afghan rebels during the 1970s and 1980s: It is our tactical support to Afghan security forces. Where U.S. military unitsincluding both special operations forces and conventional troopshave partnered directly with Afghan units, and provided them with U.S. support like logistics and airpower, the Afghan units have performed very well. Indeed, there is some evidence from the past few years that American-advised Afghan military units perform better than purely American units at counterinsurgency because they combine fighting skill with local knowledge.
This reflects a broader theory of counterinsurgency that its best done by indigenous security forces. To the extent that much of the current U.S.Afghanistan strategy relies on supporting Afghan forces as they fight the Taliban and al-Qaida, this holds some promise. However, foreign forces cannot fight our wars; eventually interests diverge, or conflict emerges between client and patron. This may soon happen in Afghanistan, particularly if the Afghan government decides to reach a political settlement with the Taliban, and possibly with al-Qaida elements, even as the U.S. wants to continue fighting.
The fourth and final case of success in Afghanistan concerns counterterrorism operations: those shadowy raids and drone strikes that have successfully stacked terrorist bodies like cordwood across Afghanistan and rural Pakistan. In the 16 years since 9/11, the U.S. has built a remarkable intelligence and special operations machine and put that machine to work in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across the Middle East. This machine is now capable of striking with just hours notice, collecting more intelligence, and moving onto a successive raid within the same night based on that intelligence. Some observers think this machinemore than the surge of conventional troopsplayed the most vital role in ripping the heart out of the Iraqi insurgency during 200708, and this machine has clearly played a major role in preventing al-Qaida from attacking the U.S. since 9/11.
Today, the Joint Special Operations Command machine continues its work across Afghanistan and Pakistandoing the hard, bloody, dangerous work of counterterrorism with elite special operations troops or drones. This counterterrorism effort most closely aligns with our primary interest (as articulated by President George W. Bush, and President Barack Obama, as well as President Trump) of preventing another attack on the U.S. emanating from Afghanistan. Although this machine is small, it is costly; elite troops cost more, and are in shorter supply, than their conventional counterparts in the U.S. military. However, it is conceivable that the U.S. could continue to operate this counterterrorism machine indefinitely in Afghanistan, whether led by the militarys special operations command or an analogous agency within the U.S. intelligence community. This plan is not without risk though: Counterterrorism raids often risk alienating civilians, or inflicting civilian casualties, in ways that can create enemies or undermine local government partners, as has happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen during the past 16 years. Counterterrorism operations must be carefully calibrated and overseen in order to be effectivesomething that runs counter to Trumps promise to take the gloves off and end White House micromanagement of warfighting.
Top Comment
This was embarasing. The examples of great powers achieving meaningful goals in Afghanistan include: 1. One great power beating another in a proxy war, which resulted in terrible consequences for the winning power. More...
These four cases of success in Afghanistan carry common elements: limited aims, tight alignment with their foreign sponsors interests, and expert execution. There is much left unaccomplished by these types of operations: They do not support a liberal democratic Afghan government, nor do they do much to promote economic opportunity or human rights for the Afghan people, let alone the kind of long-term development that might make Afghanistan less fertile for extremist groups in the decades to come. However, the lesson of the past 16 years may be that such lofty goals are beyond the reach of the U.S. Even in the case of American foreign assistance to Afghanistan during the Cold War, our modest efforts were unable to plan a permanent, stable democracy, nor a thriving middle class and civil society that could support one.
In his speech Monday night, President Trump appeared to take these lessons on board, focusing the U.S. on killing terrorists to the exclusion of nation building, even saying that he (like Americans) had grown weary of the war. He appears to have overruled his generals who sought a more expansive mission for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, one that would have continued to embrace a broader counterinsurgency and economic development effort. Trump was wise to overrule his generals in this instance and focus on a narrower vision of American interests in Afghanistan. Such a narrow vision offers the only path to success therealbeit one still fraught.
Originally posted here:
What has worked in Afghanistan. - Slate Magazine
- Lavrov Warns NATO Of 'Time Bomb' in Afghanistan Over Military Redeployment Attempts | Watch - Times of India - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- MTN leaves Afghanistan, hands over to M1 Group - Developing Telecoms - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Governments of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan to sign railway project - AzerNews - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Afghan-American appointed to lead U.S. policy on Afghanistan at the State Department - ASIA-Plus - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Veterans who each lost part of a leg in Afghanistan try for new world record with Grand Canyon hike - Stars and Stripes - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Suspended/Closed Health Facilities due to the U.S. Government Work-Stop Ban (Update as of 22 April 2025) - ReliefWeb - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- On This Day in 2008, a Mortar Attack Halts Toby Keiths USO Concert in Afghanistan - American Songwriter - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Pakistan, Russia agree to boost cooperation on terrorism threats in Afghanistan - MSN - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- US weapons left behind in Afghanistan now with Taliban: Why is Pakistan ringing alarm bells? - Firstpost - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan womens team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - AP News - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Trump administration ending temporary protected status for nationals from Afghanistan and Cameroon - Scripps News - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- US restores urgent food aid, except in Afghanistan and Yemen, two of the worlds poorest countries - AP News - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan women's team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - MSN - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Has Taliban Handed Over Bagram Airbase to US? | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G - Firstpost - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Terrorists used US weapons abandoned in Afghanistan in Jaffer Express attack: report - Dawn - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Anti-US banner appears on former embassy in Afghanistan - Caliber.Az - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan women's team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - The Derrick - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan women's team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - Traverse City Record-Eagle - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Taliban carries out public execution of two men in western Afghanistan - Times of India - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- 'Trump and Afghanistan are the perfect illustration of America withdrawing into itself' - Le Monde.fr - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.' - NPR - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Banned from education: A review of the right to education in Afghanistan - UNESCO - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- The Taliban leader says there is no need for Western laws in Afghanistan - AP News - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- ACAPS Thematic report - Afghanistan: Implications of the US foreign aid cuts on the humanitarian response (01 April 2025) - ReliefWeb - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- American woman held in Afghanistan by the Taliban has been released, AP source says - AP News - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- India says it is monitoring reports of abuse against Sikhs in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Amu TV - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- EU and Central Asian leaders urge inclusive government in Afghanistan - News.az - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- About 140 years old: the oldest person on Earth lives in Afghanistan - EADaily - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Trump hands Taliban-controlled Afghanistan the same 'Liberation Day' tariff as the UK 'after terror group spen - Daily Mail - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan ,Italy, Poland, Spain, South Korea And More Countries Propel Gilans Tourism To... - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Suspended/Closed Health Facilities due to the U.S. Government Work-Stop Ban (Update as of 1 April 2025) - ReliefWeb - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Bidens Failure in Afghanistan: Public Relations Was the Concern Not the Dissent Cable - American Center for Law and Justice - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- TTP, BLA's armament: Pakistan urges UNSC to prevent weapons' access to terrorists in Afghanistan - Geo.tv - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Taliban frees an American man who was abducted while traveling in Afghanistan more than 2 years ago - The Associated Press - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American George Glezmann freed by Taliban more than 2 years after arrest in Afghanistan - CBS News - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- George Glezmann, US man detained in Afghanistan in 2022, released by Taliban in goodwill gesture - The Times of India - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American detained by Taliban in Afghanistan is freed in deal mediated by Qatar - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Security Council renews UN mission as WHO warns of health catastrophe - UN News - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been released - AOL - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Taliban frees an American man who was abducted while traveling in Afghanistan more than 2 years ago - The Sun Chronicle - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American Detained In Afghanistan By The Taliban Has been Released - iHeart - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Afghanistan's school year begins without girls beyond sixth grade - News.Az - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American Detained In Afghanistan By The Taliban Has been Released - KLVI - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American Detained In Afghanistan By The Taliban Has been Released - WIMA - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Swiss government to deport rejected asylum seekers from Afghanistan - SWI swissinfo.ch in English - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- US citizen George Glezmann released from detention in Afghanistan - Herald Palladium - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- India ranks 118th in World Happiness Report, Afghanistan is last - Deccan Herald - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- We have no presence in India, Afghanistan or anywhere else: BLA - News Vibes of India - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Afghanistan trying to connect with neighbors via railway - Pajhwok Afghan News - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- 80% Of Afghanistan Services Risk Shutdown By June: World Health Organization - NDTV - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- British pensioners jailed in Afghanistan to appear in court after the Taliban said their arrest was a 'misunde - Daily Mail - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Why is India quietly boosting ties with Afghanistan's Taliban? - Nikkei Asia - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan vets group to step down later this spring - Military Times - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Explained: Trump travel ban 2.0 to affect 43 countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan - The Indian Express - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- NewsMakers Afghanistan and the Future of American - Home - The Commune - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- He helped in Afghanistan. Now, his family is blocked from coming to Charlotte under Trump. - Charlotte Observer - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Health Crisis in Afghanistan: 206,000 Infected with Acute Respiratory Diseases in One Month - Hasht-e Subh Daily - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Rule Breakers review: Terrific drama shows the battle for girls' education in Afghanistan - New Scientist - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Trump calls US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan most humiliating moment in history - Amu TV - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- UAE expands healthcare access with state-of-the-art clinics in Afghanistan - The Tribune India - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Pakistan, Afghanistan among 43 nations to be put in Trump administration's new travel ban list - Connected to India - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- I served in Afghanistan. President Trumps war on DEI is making Americas military weaker - Stars and Stripes - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Pakistan says train attack was orchestrated from Afghanistan: It was like a rain of rockets and bullets - The Independent - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- UAE expands healthcare access with state-of-the-art clinics in Afghanistan - ETHealthWorld - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Hizb-ut-Tahrir Afghanistan: West Is Trying To Assimilate Taliban - Middle East Media Research Institute - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Remarks by Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Charg dAffaires, at a UN Security Council Briefing on Afghanistan - United States Mission to the United Nations - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Afghanistan Monthly Protection Update As of January 2025 - ReliefWeb - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, 10 March 2025 -... - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- The UK unequivocally condemns the Talibans ban on girls' education in Afghanistan: UK statement at the UN Security Council - GOV.UK - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- A War and the Taliban: Life of a Greek Woman in Male-Dominated Afghanistan - Greek Reporter - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- De Facto Authorities in Afghanistan urged to Clarify International Position - News Central - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Graham on Ukraine aid pause: If we pull the plug on Ukraine, itd be worse than Afghanistan - The Hill - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- India calls special ties foundation of engagement with Afghanistan at UN - Hindustan Times - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Lindsey Graham's Warning Over Abandoning Ukraine'Worse Than Afghanistan' - Newsweek - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- OIC envoy discusses Afghanistan with Turkish foreign ministry official - Amu TV - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Afghanistan Women: Human Rights Watch calls on ICC to side with exiled cricketers, not Taliban - Sky Sports - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Pakistan to take all necessary measures against terrorist outfits based in Afghanistan: Akram - DAWN.com - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- 2025 Champions Trophy: Heres The Truth Behind Viral Videos Claiming To Show Celebrations In Afghanistan After Indias Win - Newschecker - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- US reviewing visa programs as official says Afghanistan could be included in Trump travel ban - CNN - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- US aid cut leave 80 Afghan women stranded in Oman, fearing return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan - The Times of India - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]