Washington must do more to address underlying sources of instability—a collapsing economy, rampant corruption, unemployment, and resource depletion—if Yemen is to avoid becoming a failed state.
Until Yemen is able to address its confluence of crises, including poor governance, rampant corruption, major security concerns, unemployment, and a lack of desperately needed resources, terrorists operating in the country will continue to pose a threat to the international community.
The key to success in Afghanistan lies in transforming what is basically a foreign military operation into a peace building operation led by the Afghan government and the UN and backed by international support, including military support if necessary.
The raid that killed Osama bin Laden has marked a turning point in power relations within Pakistan, with the embarrassed Pakistani military seizing on this incident to undermine counterterrorism cooperation and weaken the civilian regime.
In his speech, President Obama laid out a less ambitious approach to the war in Afghanistan that abandons the long-term goals of nation building in favor of improved intelligence, special forces, drone attacks, and a smaller footprint in country.
A combination of two critical problems threatens to undermine the mission of the United States–led coalition in Afghanistan: the failure of the counterinsurgency strategy and a disconnect between political objectives and military operations.
Just back from the region, Senator Lindsey Graham discussed Afghanistan, Libya, and the future of the war on terror.
The sooner Yemen can move past the current political crisis, the sooner its serious challenges of poor governance, unemployment, resource depletion, and a collapsing economy can be tackled.
Military pressure still plays a critical role in convincing the Taliban and those who support them in Pakistan to abandon their current strategy and negotiate a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.
Considering that the international coalition will have fewer resources in Afghanistan next year, it is time to enter into a meaningful negotiation process with the Taliban.


















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