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General Barry McCaffrey: Report from Afghanistan

September 26, 2008
General Barry McCaffrey

After recently visiting Afghanistan, General Barry McCaffrey discussed the country's fragile security situation in an event hosted at the Atlantic Council jointly with the Center for the Study of the Presidency.

McCaffrey said that urgent action is needed in Afghanistan and expected violence to worsen in the next 24 months.  He stressed the political nature of NATO, insisting that military action alone will accomplish little in Afghanistan and that true peace will require reconstruction, the elimination of government corruption, and the eradication of the country's increasing opium problem.

McCaffrey said the American military, at its smallest since 1939, is stretched virtually to its limits but insisted the Afghanistan mission should be a 25 year commitment.  Furthermore, NATO and the U.S. need to institute processes that will allow various government agencies to lend their expertise, such as drug enforcement or border patrol, to Afghanistan.  He also called for the U.S. to maintain positive relations with Pakistan, whose help with supply lines to Afghanistan is extremely important.

McCaffrey's analysis marks the start of a joint project by the Atlantic Council and the Center for the Study of the Presidency titled Refocusing Attention and Moving Forward on Afghanistan.


Watch Video

View GEN McCaffrey's PowerPoint Slides
Afghanistan Trip Report - July 21-26, 2008

Text of GEN McCaffrey's PowerPoint Slides
Afghanistan Trip Report - July 21-26, 2008

Related Commentary on the New Atlanticist Blog

Afghanistan Report by the Strategic Advisors Group of the Atlantic Council
Saving Afghanistan: An Appeal and Plan for Urgent Action

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