The Right War in the Right Place: Time to Get it Right in Afghanistan
“Comprehensive, Dedicated, Thoughtful Diplomacy”
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.)

Reviewed by Francis P. Sempa, contributing editor

Text: www.sais-jhu.edu/pubaffairs/PDF/johnkerry120507_remarks.pdf
Audio: www.sais-jhu.edu/ (click on audio feature)

Last month, Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs, spoke at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University about a comprehensive strategy for winning the struggle against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Kerry criticized the Bush administration's focus on Iraq, and accused it of “mismanaging” the “war on terror.” Afghanistan, not Iraq, according to Kerry, is the “true frontline of the struggle against terrorism.” What is needed to win in Afghanistan and defeat our terrorist enemies, he stated, is a “global counterinsurgency effort that places military action in its proper context alongside our moral authority and diplomatic persuasion.”

The Massachusetts Democrat opined that in Afghanistan today we risk repeating the same tragic mistake we made in Vietnam — militarily winning every battle, but politically losing the war. Despite repeated military success, he noted, the Taliban and Al Qaeda have regrouped on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Victory will only be achieved by developing a greater synergy between military and non-military strategies.

Kerry's specific recommendations included: (1) an increase in the number of troops to help stabilize the security situation, including a greater NATO contribution to troop levels; (2) less reliance on air operations to minimize civilian casualties; (3) empowering the Afghan National Army by providing it with more training and more and better equipment; (4) a greater emphasis on reconstruction and development efforts to help win “hearts and minds;” (5) increased efforts to create and foster strong national institutions and promote the rule of law; and (6) diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to improve efforts to root out terrorist insurgents to help stabilize the region.

Good and successful tactics are not enough to achieve ultimate victory, Kerry concluded. “It's time for comprehensive, dedicated, thoughtful diplomacy.”