U.S. Policy in Afghanistan

  1. Welcome

    5:16

  2. Keynote Speaker

    30:55

  3. Counterinsurgency

    54:13

  4. Counterterrorism

    1:00:25

  5. Containment

    59:23

  6. Lunch Speaker

    49:17

Basic Questions -- Strategic Choices

David Aaron, Brian Michael Jenkins, Terrence K. Kelly, James Dobbins, Zalmay Khalilzad

ResearchPublished Nov 6, 2009

On October 29, 2009, the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy convened a half-day symposium of experts — including Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Ambassador James Dobbins, Senator Carl Levin, and others — and journalists to address assumptions and alternatives for U.S. policy in Afghanistan. In the first session, panelists spoke about counterinsurgency strategy. Among the topics they addressed were military troop levels needed to support a counterinsurgency strategy, the role of Afghan security forces, and potential costs of increased military operations. The second session covered counterterrorism, including the degree to which the U.S. should consider Afghanistan a national security interest, the nature of military operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida, regional political stability, and military troop levels in the region. The final panel was on containment. Foreign policy experts spoke about strategic options and U.S. policy in Afghanistan. Among the issues they addressed were military disengagement, regional security and political stability, as well as pitfalls and challenges in any sustained military presence in the region. Each panel also answered questions from the audience.

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RAND Style Manual
Aaron, David, Brian Michael Jenkins, Terrence K. Kelly, James Dobbins, and Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Policy in Afghanistan: Basic Questions -- Strategic Choices, RAND Corporation, CF-274-CMEPP, 2009. As of October 11, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF274.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Aaron, David, Brian Michael Jenkins, Terrence K. Kelly, James Dobbins, and Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Policy in Afghanistan: Basic Questions -- Strategic Choices. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2009. https://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF274.html.
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