International Security Assistance Force

Hope for Afghanistan

By Michael O'Hanlon, Washington Post

The case for hopefulness on Afghanistan is built largely on what were probably its three most notable developments of 2013

Kerry: 2014 will be ‘a Pivotal Time for NATO’ and the Transatlantic Relationship

By John Kerry, Department of State

2014 is really going to be a pivotal time for NATO and for a transformation that is taking place with respect to NATO engagement and responsibilities.

NATO Says Karzai Failure to Sign Pact Would End Afghan Mission

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

NATO would have to pull all its troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghan President Hamid Karzai does not sign a security pact with the United States, alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday.

Taliban And NATO War on Twitter

By Sam Schneider, Daily Beast

[T]he Twitter accounts of the Taliban and ISAF reveal another war that is not so undecided— the struggle for the support and confidence of the Afghan people.

NATO Officials Questioning Canada’s Commitment

By Globe & Mail and Chronicle Herald

Canada’s commitment to NATO is being questioned by the military alliance, says its deputy secretary-general Alexander Vershbow, who suggests Canada is backing away.

Learning from Afghanistan: Multilateralism is Hard

By Steve Saideman, Political Violence @ a Glance

[W]hat can we learn from the Afghanistan effort?

SACEUR: European Allies Vital to Global Security

By Claudette Roulo, American Forces Press Service

It makes fiscal and strategic sense for the United States to continue to base troops in Europe, the officer who serves as NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command said today.

NATO Reduces Scope of Its Afghanistan Plans

By Thom Shanker, New York Times

After months of tense negotiations over the size and role of a postwar presence in Afghanistan, senior North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials say they are planning a more minimalist mission

Has NATO’s ISAF Mission in Afghanistan Failed?

By Deutsche Welle

Some argue that accomplishments such as the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the denial of Afghanistan as a safe haven for his terrorist network by toppling the Taliban regime are enough to regard the mission as a success.

General Gurganus: There’s Still More to Do in Afghanistan

With ISAF’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 fast approaching, it is useful to look back and see what failures and successes there have been. Have certain challenges been overcome? How do the Afghans see ISAF’s mission? On April 17, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted Major General Charles Gurganus, commanding general, […]