I was pleased to see that Sen. Kerry has decided to hold hearings on Afghanistan in the late summer or early fall. We are in the middle of a pivotal summer in Afghanistan with the US troop surge taking place in the build up to to critical Afghan Presidential elections in August. I am currently trying to dig into different aspects of the Afghanistan situation including getting a better sense of the relationship between drugs, corruption and the Taliban. As part of that process I have just finished reading a terrific book by Gretchen Peters, journalist and friend of Ahmed Rashid, titled Seeds of Terror. Peters, who I have not met, makes a strong case that the drug trade is the key to the resurgence of the Taliban. I would like to see Sen. Kerry invite her, along with other smart regional experts like Ahmed Rashid, to ensure that the debate at the SFRC hearing is as wide ranging as possible.

Are there other experts, with recent on the ground South Asia experience, who you think would add to such a hearing?

Last week saw two events that emphasize the fact that we are moving on from the world of George Bush to that of Barack Obama.

Per the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement June 30 marked the withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi cities. While the eventual outcome there is uncertain Iraq’s future is now primarily in Iraqi hands.

Two days later in Afghanistan thousands of U.S. Marines descended upon the Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored convoys, mounting an operation, Operation Khanjar, which represents the first large-scale test of the U.S. military’s new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan. This is a clear and hold operation, meaning not just fighting the Taliban but living and staying with local Afghans in various villages and towns.

The operation involves about 4,000 troops from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which was dispatched to Afghanistan this year by President Obama to combat a growing Taliban insurgency in Helmand and other southern provinces. The Marines, along with an Army brigade that is scheduled to arrive later this summer, plan to push into pockets of the country where NATO forces have not had a presence. (more…)

Robert McNamara, the former Secretary of Defense under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, died early this morning at his home in Northwest Washington. McNamara was a signatory of PSA’s two most recent statements on repairing US-Russian relations and on strengthening the NPT and the IAEA. McNamara played a primary role in the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban missile crisis, but he is best known for being the leading architect of the Vietnam War. He held the position of Secretary of Defense longer than anyone else in history. Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Defense in 1961, McNamara was president of Ford Motor Co., and he was also president of the World Bank for 13 years following his resignation from the Pentagon. In retirement, he stayed involved with several corporations, universities, and foundations, and until his death, he remained one of Washington’s leading experts on nuclear arms issues. Read the full New York Times obituary here.

Yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) selected Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano to be its new Director General. Mr. Amano will replace Mohammed ElBaradei when Mr. ElBaradei’s term expires in November. As a government official, Mr. Amano held several arms control posts in the Japanese government. He will now direct the international organization tasked with evaluating nuclear safety and security across the globe in support of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

The IAEA is responsible for examining nuclear facilities to ensure that nuclear technology and materials are not being diverted for military purposes. As a result, the IAEA is a crucial part of the nonproliferation regime that requires more support from the international community. In PSA’s recent statement on nonproliferation, a broad coalition of Republicans and Democrats agreed that supporting the IAEA with additional resources and increased authority is critical for the future of the nonproliferation regime.

Currently, Iran refuses to allow IAEA inspections of some of its nuclear facilities, effectively precluding the international community from ensuring that Iran does not have an illicit nuclear weapons program. North Korea has withdrawn from the NPT and expelled the IAEA entirely. In an increasingly globalized world, it is becoming more and more difficult to monitor cargo for smuggled nuclear parts, materials, and technology. These challenges have led some to believe that the IAEA is ineffective and therefore should not be supported. However, the simple fact is that there is no other international organization that can play this role. If we are serious about preventing nuclear proliferation, then we must supply the IAEA with the resources it needs to do its job.

In yesterday’s Washington Post, veteran newsman Bob Woodward recounts a recent meeting between National Security Advisor James Jones and a few dozen Marine officers in Afghanistan’s Helmand province under the command of Marine Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson.

The subject on everyone’s mind: force levels. Saying that he was “a little light,” Nicholson hinted that he could use more forces, probably thousands more. “We don’t have enough force to go everywhere,” Nicholson said.

Of course he doesn’t. One senior military commander confided, in Woodward’s telling, ”that there would need to be more than 100,000 troops to execute the counterinsurgency strategy of holding areas and towns after clearing out the Taliban insurgents. That is at least 32,000 more than the 68,000 currently authorized.”

So, Nicholson and other commanders were asking: Can we expect to receive additional troops in Afghanistan any time soon?

Jones’s answer: don’t bet on it.

The retired Marine Corps general reminded his audience in Helmand that Obama has approved two increases already. Going beyond merely an endorsement of the outgoing Bush admiministration’s decision to more than double the force in Afghanistan, Obama accepted the recommendation of his advisers to send an additional 17,000, and then shortly thereafter another 4,000. (more…)