As the United States and its newest “coalition of the willing” shift their anti-terrorism focus to Syria, Iraq and ISIL/ISIS, risks emerge within the “old hot zone” of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- The Taliban never went away in Afghanistan and are back on the rise
- The Afghan government’s control of the country is tenuous
- Tribal areas of Afghanistan – Pakistan border continue to pose problems
- Complex nature of Pakistani politics/military/intelligence nexus is back to its usual tricks
- United States has failed to define a meaningful future strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia
Anthony Cordesman of The Center for Strategic and International Studies has delved into this subject with a recently published paper.
CSIS – Losing the “Forgotten War” The U.S. Strategic Vacuum in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia
