The documentary "Afghanistan's Road to Stability" commissioned by NATO aims to give the Afghan perspective – from private soldiers to generals, from refugees to ministers, from villagers to members of parliament, from workers to business-owners – and looks behind the scenes at ISAF’s activities.
Afghanistan's recent presidential and provincial council elections have focused the world's attention on the country and its future. In the face of the insurgency and increasing public dissatisfaction, the Afghan government and its partners must shape real change for the people.
Produced by former BBC correspondent Paul Anderson the documentary shows how ISAF is adapting the way it operates in Afghanistan,
intensively supporting new Afghan institutions, helping to refine their operating
practices, and renewing its focus on the people.
Giving a crucial insight into NATO's Afghanistan mission it covers many facets, including the German operation in northern Afghanistan and the attempts by Swedish troops to win hearts and minds.
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Dear members of atlantic-community.org
What do you think of the documentary and the progress of ISAF's mission in Afghanistan?
Will the development of both the military and police help to bring a conclusion to NATO's role in the country any sooner? How can success really be measured?
Your thoughts are highly appreciated.
- 5
September 25, 2009
Member deleted
Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, who had been in the nation in the 1980s, was cited by Associated Press on September 12 as reflecting that in 2002 the U.S. had 5,000 troops in the nation and "Taliban controlled just a small corner of the country's southeast."
"Now we have Taliban fighting in the peaceful Kunduz and Baghlan (provinces) with your (NATO's) 100,000 troops. And if this trend is the rule, if you bring 200,000 soldiers here, all of Afghanistan will be under the Taliban."
General Stanley McChrystal's classified assessment of the war in Afghanistan is his conclusion that a successful counterinsurgency strategy will require 500,000 troops over five years.
Will this guarantee the positive outcome. From my point of view no, since some opinion polls are showing that only 18 % of Afghans support increasing U.S. troops. (like earlier they were against soviet troops and before them every foreign conquistador). With military approach one may find new Vietnam case in future.
From my point of view only development made/leaded by local stakeholders can be sustainable. In my earlier article "Karzai's administration worse than Taliban?" http://arirusila.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/karzais-administration-wo... the good (if not best) practice to following in Afghanistan like other missions too:
"To close the gap between aims and practice the following actions could according my experience be useful:
* improvement of situation analysis,
* developing field experience feedback during missions,
* applying “project cycle management” practice in operation/mission planning procedure,
* Logical Framework Approach should be applied through the process,
* Special need is also use there Participatory Planning methods so that all stakeholders can commit to actions. "