South Asia

Tough Choices: U.S. Troop Reductions and the Afghan Local Police Program

By James Cook

President Obama’s decision to remove 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, followed by the withdrawal of the remaining 23,000 “surge” forces by next summer and a further “steady pace” reduction of troops until the 2014 transition to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) remains a source of controversy.

Osama Bin Laden’s Perverted Legacy

By Harlan Ullman

A bullet to the brain ended Osama bin Laden’s life on Earth. But, in a perverse twist of fate, his death ironically and iconically strengthened a bloody legacy to the detriment of much of the civilized world in at least three powerful ways. First, bin Laden abetted the economic and financial misfortunes of the United […]

Afghanistan Handoff: NATO to SCO?

By Nikolas Gvosdev

While the United States and its North Atlantic partners have reaffirmed their commitment to Afghanistan through to 2014, the Western alliance has also clearly signaled it is not willing to offer an unlimited “blank check” to Kabul. The president’s approach to Afghanistan is guided by what I’ve described as the “just enough” doctrine designed to “keep al-Qaida […]

Learning by doing: The Pakistan army’s experience with counterinsurgency

By Shuja Nawaz

In the South Asia Center report “Learning by Doing: The Pakistan Army’s Experience with Counterinsurgency,” Center Director and author Shuja Nawaz examines the doctrinal shift toward counterinsurgency (COIN) that has taken place in the Pakistan army in recent years. The army appears to have learned many lessons from its experiences in Swat in 2008 and […]

Transcript: NATO Beyond Afghanistan Conference – Third Panel

Transcript of the third panel from the NATO Beyond Afghanistan conference held September 27, 2010.

Transcript: NATO Beyond Afghanistan Conference – Lunch Keynote

Transcript of the lunch keynote from the NATO Beyond Afghanistan conference held September 27, 2010.

Transcript: NATO Beyond Afghanistan Conference – Second Panel

Transcript of the second panel from the NATO Beyond Afghanistan conference held September 27, 2010.

Transcript: NATO Beyond Afghanistan Conference – Welcome and First Panel

Transcript of the conference welcome and first panel from the NATO Beyond Afghanistan conference held September 27, 2010.

NATO Beyond Afghanistan Conference: Strategic Implications for NATO and the ISAF Mission

On September 27, the Atlantic Council and its Strategic Advisors Group hosted an all-day conference on the long-term political and military implications for NATO stemming from the ISAF mission.