Return of the Taliban?Will the nearly 7,000 additional U.S. troops on their way to Afghanistan meaningfully affect the security and stability of the country?
65% Yes “[It] will help but 7,000 is not enough.” “But for success there must also be a major increase in efforts at governance and (re)construction. Principal responsibility for leadership and organization, on behalf of the Karzai government and the United Nations, should be assumed by the European Union, with a major political figure in charge and a substantial increase in funding.” “US Forces not only provide for security but are heavily engaged in training both the Afghan Army and police. Additional trainers and combat troops will help protect the citizens from the Taliban and give the Kabul government a chance to grow and mature.” “A qualified yes. The failure in Afghanistan is political, not military. Failing to put in place an effective program for economic construction and drug control will undercut any military campaign in the long run.” “Yes, although it is not sufficient in numbers. NATO forces will need to remain for decades. Sustained economic development assistance is equally important.” “Yes, if we also add civilian resources.” “Yes. But more NATO and US troops will be needed to defeat decisively the Taliban and carry out counter-terrorism missions.” “More troops will enable U.S. forces to provide more security in Kabul and elsewhere. But we are still wildly short of the kind of troop and political commitment needed to make the current government work. In that respect, Afghanistan is another victim of the Bush administration's decision to start a war of choice in Iraq.” “Every bit helps, especially with US air power and, unlike (most) NATO allies, the will actually to fight the fight....” “The fundamental strategy is right; perseverance is the requisite requirement now.”
35% No “It will help if concentrated in the south but will not be enough. Troop concentrations in Afghanistan will still be less than 2 per 1,000 people. In Bosnia and Kosovo the levels were 19 or 20 per 1,000. In Iraq the level is less than 8 per 1,000 even after the surge.” “Seven thousand doesn't begin to be enough, and it's hard to know what enough is when the border with Pakistan gives the insurgents safe haven.” “No. They might well have done so two years ago.” “Far more are needed to make a difference.” “No, it is a trivial number.” “No, unless there is also a commitment in economic assistance.” “Not unless we develop a genuine counterinsurgency plan similar to the ink spot approach the British successfully used in Malaya, where they used their military power to provide security for a reason-to quickly improve the social and economic position of the people they had 'liberated', making them stakeholders in the process.” “The problem in Afghanistan, like Iraq, is much more political than military. Seven thousand additional troops solve neither of these questions -- too few for a military advance, almost irrelevant for securing political change.” “Not of the country, at best Kabul and its immediate areas.”
65% None of the above: “More troops along aren’t going to bring stability or security to the country. What Afghanistan needs is an integrated nation-building effort consisting of more troops to bring security, more money to rebuild basic infrastructure, and more political support to get Pakistan to clean up the border area which is now the main source of threat to Afghanistan’s future.” PARTICIPANTS (44): Kenneth Adelman, Graham Allison, Ronald Asmus, Samuel Berger, Daniel Blumenthal, Stephen Bosworth, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Daniel Byman, Warren Christopher, Wesley Clark, Richard Clarke, William Cohen, Ivo Daalder, Lawrence Eagleburger, Douglas Feith, Jay Garner, Leslie Gelb, Marc Grossman, John Hamre, Gary Hart, Bruce Hoffman, John Hulsman, Robert Hunter, Tony Judt, Robert Kagan, David Kay, Andrew Krepinevich, Charles Kupchan, John Lehman, James Lindsay, Edward Luttwak, Jessica Mathews, John McLaughlin, Richard Myers, William Nash, Joseph Nye, Carlos Pascual, Thomas Pickering, Kenneth Pollack, Joseph Ralston, Susan Rice, Wendy Sherman, Ann-Marie Slaughter, Anthony Zinni. Not all participants answered all questions.
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