A New Approach in Afghanistan

The death of Taliban commander Mullah Dudallah has scored a major victory for US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, while the House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved H.R. 2446, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act (AFSSA), authorizing $1.6 billion per year over the next three years for development, economic and security assistance programs in Afghanistan. However, these successes are set against the backdrop of a deteriorating political and security environment — with the steady rise of suicide attacks along with the expected growth of poppy cultivation outdistancing last year’s record numbers. And the rash of civilian casualties in the past month, coupled with the recent killing of three German soldiers, threaten Afghanistan’s political stability and NATO’s cohesion.

In a rare public address to the Washington policy community, Afghan Ambassador Said T. Jawad addressed the unfolding events and U.S. policy toward Afghanistan at this New America event. Ambassador Jawad discussed the current challenges in state-building and gave an overall briefing on the state of security and reconstruction. Senior Fellow and CNN Terrorism Analyst Peter Bergen moderated the subsequent question-and-answer session.

Video of this event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.

Participants

• Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad
  Afghan Ambassador to the United States
• Peter Bergen
  Schwartz Senior Fellow, New America Foundation
  Terrorism Analyst, CNN