Afghanistan: - the Pentagon Report
From: Alain Pellerin
To: NATO Veterans
Sent: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:08:01 -0400
Subject: Afghanistan: "Cautiously Optimistic" - the Pentagon Report (30 Apr. 2010)
In this week's media briefing, the Conference of Defence Associations
(CDA) would like to draw your attention to media coverage in the areas
of:
- AFGHANISTAN
- CANADA AND AFGHANISTAN
- NUCLEAR POLICY
- RECOMMENDED READING
--- AFGHANISTAN ---
The Institute for the Study of War has produced its fifth Report on
Afghanistan entitled, Politics and Power in Kandahar, which outlines
key findings and recommendations for the ISAF mission.
http://www.understandingwar.org/report/politics-and-power-kandahar
Kellie Tranter for National Times criticizes the lack of parliamentary debate in Australia about the war in Afghanistan. http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/politics/where-is-the-debate-on-the-war-in -afghanistan-20100423-thux.html
Thom Shanker, Helene Cooper and Richard A. Oppel Jr. for The New York Times reports that elite US units have stepped up operations in Kandahar in anticipation of ISAF’s major, and decisive campaign for the heartland of the Taliban insurgency. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/world/asia/26kandahar.html?emc=eta1
Seth G Jones for Foreign Affairs argues that centralized governance will not rebuild Afghanistan, without ground up development at the village level. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66350/seth-g-jones/it-takes-the-villa ges
Kim Senguptain The Independent writes that the British military is split over a plan to shift British troops from Helmand to Kandahar. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/british-military-split-over-pla n-to-move-troops-to-kandahar-1955139.html
Greg Bruno Staff Writer for the Council on Foreign Relations interviews David S. Rohde a reporter for the New York Times concerning miscalculations in America’s strategy in southern Afghanistan. http://www.cfr.org/publication/21863
Rajiv Chandrasekaran for The Washington Post reports that US Special Forces soldiers organized local Afghans into effective village watch groups, but scaling the initiative has been barred until it receives official Afghan endorsement. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042604 215.html?hpid=topnews
Ahmed Rashid for The Washington Post contends that President Obama must decide now, whether he will engage the Taliban. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042603 020.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Seth G Jones for Foreign Affairs reviews three books that provide a deeper understanding of Afghan culture and society, revealing that the Taliban have to beaten at the village level. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66350/seth-g-jones/it-takes-the-villa ges
Dmitri Trenin and Alexei Malashenko for Carnegie Endowment write a report entitled “Afghanistan: A View from Moscow.” http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/trenin_afghan_final.pdf
Sabrina Tavernise, Carlotta Gall and Ismail Khan for The New York Times write that Pakistan’s seems more willing to attack Pakistani militant groups in North Waziristan, representing a marked shift in its military thinking. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/world/asia/30pstan.html
AND Kronos International writes that President Karzai rejected a Pentagon report that argued he lacks criticial areas of support in Afghanistan needed to beat the insurgency. http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=3.1.321263344
Baoky N. Vu for The Washington Times provides a comparative analysis of the Vietnam War to the War in Afghanistan. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/30/slow-going-on-the-path-towar d-democracy/
Alissa J Rubin for The New York Times writes that a new Pentagon report identifies pockets of success in Afghanistan but overall there has been little progress in the past six months. Donna Miles for the American Forces Press Service writes that Afghanistan’s stability and secuirty according to the report, has improved since this time last year. The report entitled, “Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan”, can be accessed via the third link. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/world/asia/30afghan.html
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=58948
http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/Report_Final_SecDef_04_26_10.pdf
--- CANADA AND AFGHANISTAN ---
Ethan Baron for Canwest News explores the differences between two
Afghan villages that have received Canadian funding for development
projects, citing one that has squandered the money and another which
has made marked progress.
http://www.canada.com/tale+villages+Stark+differences+between+neighbouring+A
fghan+towns/2943785/story.html
Murray Brewster for The Canadian Press reveals that Canada’s signature projects are not in line with Kandahar’s perceived needs. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100425/national/afghan_cda_development
Murray Brewster for The Canadian Press shares the experience of Canadian soldiers, in Charlie Company who have recently returned from a tour of duty, some completing their first tour and others veterans of the mission. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9016148.html
Allan Woods for The Star recounts the story of Canada’s JTF2 commandos participation in Task Force K-Bar, for the first time following a Toronto Star investigation. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/800296--canada-s-el ite-commandos-and-the-invasion-of-afghanistan?bn=1
Andrew Potter for Macleans writes on what “Afghan Canadians think of our role in Afghanistan,” following an event organized by the Afghan solidarity committee at which former Canadian Ambassador, Chris Alexander’s paper was discussed. The paper, entitled, Ending The Agony: Seven Moves To Stabilize Afghanistan, is available through the second link. http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/04/27/our-afghan-comrades-have-a-few-things-to- say/
http://www.cigionline.org/sites/default/files/Afghanistan_Paper_3_0.pdf
--- NUCLEAR POLICY ---
Victor David Hanson for The National Review posits that the “problem
is not nuclear weapons, but who has them,” namely North Korea and Iran
which should be the focus of future non-proliferation summits.
http://article.nationalreview.com/432763/obamas-nuclear-naivety/victor-davis
-hanson
John R Bolton for The Washington Times explores the dangers of America’s shrinking nuclear umbrella for friends and allies. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/28/folding-our-nuclear-umbrella /
Dimitri Simes for Time questions whether Obama is “overselling his Russia Arms Control Agreement,” masking the lack of real progress with exaggerated pronouncements of historic successes. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1984882,00.html
Frank J. Gaffney Jr. for The Washington Times argues that Russia is equipped with an “Arsenal of Roguery,” which it is exporting to countries with serious repercussions for American security. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/28/arsenal-of-roguery/print/
--- RECOMMENDED READING ---
Ben Connable, Martin C. Libicki for RAND have produced a study
examining, “How Insurgencies End,” based on a quantitative and
qualitative analysis of 89 insurgency case studies.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG965/
Gary Schmitt and William Kristol for The Weekly Standard posit that America’s military is aging and does not have the funding to modernize. http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/our-country%E2%80%99s-battles
Elisabeth Bumiller for The New York Times examines the backlash against power point presentations in the American military. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?th&emc=th
Edward Wong for The New York Times writes that China is pursuing a strategy termed 'far sea defense,’ projecting its naval power from the Middle East to the Pacific shipping lanes. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/world/asia/24navy.html?emc=eta1
Martin Collacott for The Ottawa Citizen warns readers to heed MP Ujjal Dosanjh’s warnings about escalating extremism in Canada. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/must+heed+Dosanjh/2954361/story.html
Michiko Kakutani reviews Richard Clarke’s new book, “Cyber War” which depicts plausible doomsday scenarios resulting from cyber attacks against America which does not have an effective cyber defensive capability. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/books/27book.html?hpw
--- TO CONCLUDE ---
The CDA continues to contribute to a non-partisan and informed debate
about security and defence issues important to Canada and Canadians.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Regards,
---
Executive Director, Conference of Defence Associations
222 rue Somerset Street West, Suite 400B Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2G3
