OPINION: Progress in Afghanistan calls for Afghans to take more responsibility

Very few disputed the deployment of U.S. and allied ground troops into Afghanistan, initially in late 2001 and over time. 

Very few disputed the deployment of U.S. and allied ground troops into Afghanistan, initially in late 2001 and more robustly over time. The very real danger posed by al Qaeda was a clear threat to our national security and to that of many of our friends and allies. Over the years of our engagement, however, it became clear that the threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan was diminishing, just as the Taliban’s capacity to prolong the conflict was increasing. 

Starting in 2006, we witnessed the rise of Pakistan as a major factor in the outcome of the international effort in Afghanistan. This was largely due to a strategic error on the part of Pakistani decision-makers, who cut a very bad “deal” with the tribal leaders along the border between the two countries. The deal, which purported to restrict the access to and from Afghanistan, turned into just the opposite: a dramatic increase in the flow of fighters and arms across the border that has continued ever since. The Pakistani military leaders recognize this error today.

Since 2006, the year that U.S. and NATO forces formally joined ranks in Afghanistan, we have participated in a very comprehensive international effort to achieve four things, principally. The first has been achieved, and that is to rid Afghanistan of the threat to us and our friends from al Qaeda. The second was to enable the Afghan people the right to elect their own government. This has also been accomplished.

Third, we wanted to give the Afghan security forces the means to provide for their own national security. This is a work in progress, but the signs are encouraging, especially where the Afghan army is concerned; it is less so with the police forces, unfortunately. Lastly, we wanted to find a way to jump-start the Afghan economy to give the next generation of Afghans hope for a brighter and more peaceful future.  This effort has been less successful. Corruption is still rampant, and the establishment of the rule of law remains every bit a work in progress. 

Now, nearly 10 years since our efforts began and in the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, it is time to think not only about the length of our deployment and its cost in lives and resources, but also the immediate future of a potential strategic, longer-term relationship with Afghanistan. This is especially true since, by all indications, security has improved greatly as a result of a 40,000-man increase in the international force (30,000 U.S.) decided by President Obama at the request of our military leaders.

Today, an additional 80,000 Afghan soldiers now are receiving military training and are gaining in anti-terrorism expertise. Meanwhile, the terrorist leadership of al Qaeda below bin Laden has been increasingly weakened by our operational success on both sides of the border.

At the London Conference in 2010, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he wanted a complete withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces by 2014, when he believes the Afghan military will be capable of keeping the country secure. At the NATO Summit held in Lisbon, Portugal, in December 2010, the alliance decided to honor Karzai’s request.

Obama has done exactly what he said he would do in announcing a plan for the beginning of our military reductions in Afghanistan. This will not be a unilateral withdrawal; rather it will be done in concert with other nations who have made their own contributions to Afghanistan for much of the previous decade. The number of troops to be withdrawn was a contentious discussion, but in the end, it was always about how many — not whether — troops would come home in 2011.

It is unfortunate, and very hurtful to our bilateral relations, to observe the continuing lack of progress in developing an Afghan national “rule of law” and any semblance of a commitment to fight corruption, a national illness left conspicuously unaddressed by Karzai, despite repeated international entreaties over many years. When such failings are pointed out, we are treated to outbursts against “the occupiers” by no less than Karzai, a man who owes much of his good fortune to the international community. 

The time has come for him to understand that he will get his wish in 2014, and for us to understand that we cannot want for the Afghans that which they do not want for themselves. In a sense, we are now looking for what is good enough for this country, and we will soon know what that is. In the meantime, we should continue to demonstrate unity of purpose in trying to shape the very best Afghanistan we can. 

Jones is a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He was national security adviser to President Obama from January 2009 to November 2010.

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