Ask the Expert – Afghanistan Transition – Brian Katulis

What did you learn on your recent trip to Afghanistan?

Together with Center for American Progress President John Podesta and Senior Fellow Caroline Wadhams, I traveled to Kabul to learn what still needs to be done to ensure a successful transition from Afghanistan. We met with government officials, opposition figures, and members of civil society, who told us that their country’s fragile democratic institutions are crumbling. As our security transition occurs, we need to accelerate our efforts to help Afghanistan strengthen its core political, economic, and societal institutions to make sure the country will be able stand on its own once our forces leave.

What is the current state of the transition in Afghanistan?

The United States has a plan to withdraw a significant portion of its troops from Afghanistan by 2014. To date much of the policy has centered on a military and security aspects of the strategy. A functional Afghan security force is critical for success, but it is not the only part. The broader Afghanistan state is in crisis. If the current political trajectory continues, the Afghan security forces may have no state left to defend.

What still needs to be done to ensure a successful transition?

First, the United States needs to be crystal clear about what its objectives are in Afghanistan. It needs to have a strategy that has a political track that is synched with the military strategy between now and 2014 and beyond.

Second, despite its public aversion to nation-building, the United States must support Afghanistan’s institutions and democratic forces. These include the media, parliament, Supreme Court, the Independent Election Commission, and even the political opposition.

Third, the United States must more effectively use its leverage to encourage political and economic reforms. And finally, the United States needs to commit to facilitating an Afghan political settlement. We should heal our rift with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, but without providing unconditional financial and political support. Unconditional support has weakened Afghan state institutions and contributes to a culture of corruption and impunity.