Publisher's Synopsis
As President Obama reiterated during his December 1, 2009 speech at West Point, the core U.S. goal remains to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan. While our combat mission in Afghanistan is not open-ended, we will remain politically, diplomatically, and economically engaged in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the long-term to protect our enduring interests in the region. Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, our focus is building the capacity of Afghan institutions to withstand and diminish the threat posed by extremism, and to deliver high-impact economic assistance -especially in the agricultural sector - to create jobs, reduce the funding that the Taliban receives from poppy cultivation, and draw insurgents off the battlefield. We are focusing our support at the national level on Afghan ministries that can have the most direct impact on service delivery, particularly in the geographic heart of the insurgency - the South and East. Consistent with the President's recently completed policy review, we are also adapting our programs to account for local realities, and broadening our support and engagement at the provincial and district levels to enhance the visibility, effectiveness, and accountability of the institutions that impact Afghan lives the most. The provinces and districts are where our most consequential programs will be delivered, where we must help the Afghan government provide economic opportunities that increase stability and reduce the strength of the insurgency -and where we are most visibly expanding our civilian commitment. President Karzai's inaugural address set forth an ambitious agenda, focusing on: reintegration; economic development; improving relations with Afghanistan's regional partners; and steadily increasing the security responsibilities of Afghan security forces. Rapid progress on this agenda is important, and will require international support. Toward this end, we are encouraging the Afghan government to take strong actions to combat corruption and improve governance, and to provide better services for the people of Afghanistan - while maintaining and expanding on the important democratic reforms and advances in women's rights that have been made since 2001. We will work with the Afghan government to implement a system for evaluating progress and adapting programs as the situation on the ground evolves. Our focused strategy reflects the urgency President Obama has directed to reverse negative trends in Afghanistan. It consists of the following key elements, which are integrated and synchronized with military activities to achieve short, medium, and long-term objectives. The success of civilian programs depends on an improving security environment in Afghanistan. Pakistan: A major focus of the President's policy review was the importance of Pakistan to our efforts in Afghanistan, to regional stability, and to our national security and foreign policy interests. There remains mistrust between our two countries, but we see a critical window of opportunity created by the recent transition to democratic, civilian rule and the broad, sustained political support across Pakistan for military operations against extremists. We seek to lead the international community in helping Pakistan overcome the political, economic, and security challenges that threaten its stability, and in turn undermine regional stability. And we seek to build a long-term partnership with Pakistan based on common interests, including a recognition that we cannot tolerate a safe haven for terrorists whose location is known and whose intentions are clear.
