What is success in Afghanistan?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011  

Dear Friends,

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) would like to wish all our readers and especially those men and women in uniform a Happy New Year! In 2011 ISW is excited and proud to continue to educate this nation’s public and civilian leadership on the realities of our current foreign engagements.

In collaboration with the American Enterprise Institute, ISW has published Defining Success in Afghanistan by Drs. Kimberly and Frederick Kagan which elucidates how recent successes in Afghanistan make defining victory there a tangible reality. While the winter season has led to a seasonal decrease in enemy activity, the coming spring will be pivotal in assessing the hard fought gains made by coalition forces. Be sure to watch a video of the release event co-hosted Monday, January 10, 2011.
 

Download Defining Success in Afghanistan (PDF)

While absolute security is difficult to judge during the Afghan winter, real progress has been made in many parts of the country. ISW’s recently released eighth Afghanistan report: Counterinsurgency in Helmand: Progress and Remaining Challenges by Jeffrey Dressler attempts to explain the details further.  His findings include insights into the ongoing security situation in Afghanistan’s volatile southern districts and the current state of counterinsurgency efforts being pursued on the battlefield.  To get a clear view of how the surge is changing the game in Afghanistan’s Helmand district, see some of our latest force distribution maps found in the report.

Don’t forget to check ISW out on Facebook and Twitter!

Very respectfully,

Institute for the Study of War (ISW)