RAND: Afghanistan 2009-11-19T13:25:00Z Copyright (c) 2007-2008, The RAND Corporation Bricolage RAND Corporation urn:uuid:090D765E-F6D5-11DD-8200-12D538788F35 Afghanistan's Growing Security Challenge urn:uuid:2659782A-E96A-11DD-AF2F-51C038788F35 2009-01-27T00:00:00Z 2009-01-27T00:00:00Z This essay from a collection, which examines the security situation in Afghanistan through the largest public opionon survey ever conducted in Afghanistan, asks three questions. What are Afghan perceptions of the security environment? How do these perceptions vary across the country? How do Afghans feel about their security institutions? Shortcomings in Planning for Post-Combat Period in Iraq urn:uuid:C54DB8B0-E6C8-11DC-8470-E1BD38788F35 2008-06-30T03:00:00Z 2008-06-30T03:00:00Z Efforts to adequately plan for the post-combat period in Iraq were thwarted by overly optimistic views held by top civilian leaders and a belief among military leaders that civilian authorities would be responsible for postwar operations. Afghan Progress Spotty but Hopeful urn:uuid:E58883E8-1E00-11DD-B0DC-E1BD38788F35 2008-04-29T03:00:00Z 2008-04-29T03:00:00Z As NATO's role in Afghanistan was debated in Bucharest recently, the bad headlines continued rolling in. And yet, on the ground, there is equally compelling evidence that the efforts of the international community are making a difference, write Obaid Younossi and Peter Dahl Thruelsen. One In Five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Suffer from PTSD or Major Depression urn:uuid:D68400CA-00D7-11DD-B5C6-80F038788F35 2008-04-17T03:00:00Z 2008-04-17T03:00:00Z Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — 300,000 in all — report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment. America is Making a Difference in Eastern Afghanistan urn:uuid:B741F230-00C3-11DD-BCE8-80F038788F35 2008-04-01T03:00:00Z 2008-04-01T03:00:00Z [The United States] has made some progress against the Taliban and other insurgent groups in eastern Afghanistan, and created a window of opportunity to spread this elsewhere, writes Seth G. Jones. Developing U.S. Civilian Personnel Capabilities in State-Building Operations urn:uuid:6DC36702-EECF-11DC-9346-E1BD38788F35 2008-03-19T03:00:00Z 2008-03-19T03:00:00Z Recent U.S. experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq have shown that engaging in stability and reconstruction operations is a difficult and lengthy process that requires appropriate resources. A framework for improving U.S. civilian personnel and staffing programs for state-building efforts could help. Women and Nation-Building urn:uuid:9E0811E0-D64E-11DC-A3B0-E1BD38788F35 2008-02-27T03:00:00Z 2008-02-27T03:00:00Z Women's participation in post-conflict nation-building is an important ingredient in achieving an equitable, peaceful and more prosperous society. Leaders should include women in the earliest economic reconstruction activities. Why We Need to Nail Osama urn:uuid:D336A23E-E56A-11DC-BF3D-E1BD38788F35 2008-02-27T03:00:00Z 2008-02-27T03:00:00Z [K]illing or capturing bin Laden remains a vital national and, indeed, international priority. Not only is it important — it is worth devoting significant resources and making major tradeoffs to do so, writes Elbridge Colby. Addressing the Security Problems Posed by Ungoverned Territories urn:uuid:75EFFFE0-D9A2-11DC-A98F-BABE38788F35 2008-02-14T03:00:00Z 2008-02-14T03:00:00Z In testimony presented before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Angel Rabasa discusses the security problems posed by ungoverned territories, and what could be done to address them. International Perspectives on Interagency Reform urn:uuid:C6A28C38-CB46-11DC-A98F-BABE38788F35 2008-01-30T03:00:00Z 2008-01-30T03:00:00Z In testimony presented before the Armed Services Committee, Nora Bensahel discusses the lack of civilian capacity in stability and nation building operations, which has led to an overreliance on military forces. The State of the Afghan Insurgency urn:uuid:A3456AB6-A4FF-11DC-A053-BABE38788F35 2007-12-10T03:00:00Z 2007-12-10T03:00:00Z In testimony presented before the Canadian Senate National Security and Defence Committee, Seth G. Jones discusses the increasingly violent insurgency that threatens Afghanistan, the challenges its government faces, and the strategic importance of Afghanistan to the national security of NATO countries. Improving Army Doctrine and Planning for Stability Operations urn:uuid:95B1BDF8-7739-11DC-AEF0-5BBE38788F35 2007-11-26T03:00:00Z 2007-11-26T03:00:00Z The U.S. Army has put much effort into revising the approach to planning and implementing Stabilization, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction operations to ensure a common U.S. strategy. However, some elements essential to the success of the process are not yet in place. Army Resource Gaps Can Be Filled by Building Partner Capabilities urn:uuid:374AB7C6-766F-11DC-AB8D-5BBE38788F35 2007-11-06T03:00:00Z 2007-11-06T03:00:00Z Ongoing operations and emerging mission requirements place a heavy burden on U.S. Army resources, resulting in capability gaps that the Army might fill by building appropriate capabilities in allies and partner armies through focused security cooperation. Women and Human Security: The Case of Post Conflict Afghanistan urn:uuid:5D6B8204-78B9-11DC-905E-E2BD38788F35 2007-10-27T03:00:00Z 2007-10-27T03:00:00Z Improvements to the outcomes of post-conflict nation-building can be made through a stronger emphasis on the broader concept of human security from the earliest phases of the nation-building effort; a focus on establishing governance on the principles of equity and consistent rule of law from the start; and women's earliest inclusion in reconstruction. The Right Way to Withdraw urn:uuid:BC96A018-7B2C-11DC-89E6-E2BD38788F35 2007-10-14T03:00:00Z 2007-10-14T03:00:00Z Had we not invaded Iraq, there are any number of better things we could do to fight terror with the billions the administration plans to spend in Iraq this year. [But w]e're involved too deeply in Iraq and Afghanistan to exit suddenly without fixing our mess, writes James Dobbins. Regaining Information Superiority Against 21st-Century Insurgents urn:uuid:F5DBA122-5D6B-11DC-BAE2-33C1F7A557C7 2007-09-27T03:00:00Z 2007-09-27T03:00:00Z U.S. counterinsurgency efforts need to exploit information power by connecting with and learning from the population itself to increase the effectiveness of both the indigenous government and the U.S. military and civilian services that support it. RAND Review, Summer 2007: Afghanistan on the Edge urn:uuid:F2529942-686B-11DC-8DD0-EFBD38788F35 2007-09-12T03:00:00Z 2007-09-12T03:00:00Z The Summer 2007 issue of RAND Review discusses Afghanistan, a world at risk of winning the urban battle, losing the rural war, abandoning the regional solution. U.S. Military Should Adopt Marketing Strategies to Reach Iraqi, Afghan Civilians urn:uuid:4D79B354-296B-11DC-938D-64E9D44B69C5 2007-07-17T03:00:00Z 2007-07-17T03:00:00Z Adopting successful business marketing practices, such as branding and monitoring customer satisfaction, could help the U.S. military get more support from the local populations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Insights on Joint Urban Operations from Afghanistan and Iraq urn:uuid:14405D2C-FCCA-11DB-AAE0-B2A96D6218A8 2007-05-25T03:00:00Z 2007-05-25T03:00:00Z Today's strategic environment implies an obligation to preserve innocent life when possible and to rebuild that which war destroys. Various tools can help better enable military and civilian alike to meet these objectives by more effectively conducting urban combat and restoration. Afghanistan: Why Canada Should Stay urn:uuid:B40C1E32-33AB-11DC-AD18-64E9D44B69C5 2007-05-07T03:00:00Z 2007-05-07T03:00:00Z There is a growing movement in Canada to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, illustrated by such newspaper headlines as: "Is it time to go?" and "Canada must leave Afghanistan." Such a move would be a tragic mistake, writes Seth G. Jones.