Afghanistan: Long term goals for Afghanistan and their near term implications

Prepared statement by
Stephen Biddle
Roger Hertog Senior Fellow for Defense Policy
Council on Foreign Relations

Before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
First Session, 112th Congress

Hearing on “Steps Needed for a Successful 2014 Transition in Afghanistan”

The Afghanistan debate often focuses, understandably, on near-term concerns. Sound policies in the near term, however, require a longer term vision to guide them. And for now, several key components of a long term vision for Afghanistan are absent or underdeveloped. What would success look like? What does the United States require to secure our central interests there? What relationship do we want with Afghanistan or its region after 2014, and what role will that require us to play then – or now?