Afghanistan Study Group Report

The Afghanistan Study Group, co-chaired by General James L. Jones and Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, included prominent experts on the region and on foreign policy.

The Center for the Study of the Presidency issued this report on status of current U.S. and international efforts in Afghanistan and the need for an improved strategy to ensure a secure and prosperous Afghanistan for the future.

After offering its assessment of the current situation in Afghanistan, the Study Group addresses six critical issues to revitalize the U.S. and international effort in Afghanistan - international coordination, security, governance and the rule of law, counter-narcotics, economic development and reconstruction, and Afghanistan and its neighbors.

In addition to the recommendations on these six issues, the Study Group offers three overarching recommendations to bring sharper focus and attention to Afghanistan - within the U.S. government and within the broader international community. The first is a proposal for theAdministration and the Congress to decouple Iraq and Afghanistan in the legislative process and in the management of these conflicts in the Executive branch. The second is to establish a Special Envoy for Afghanistan position within the U.S. government, charged with coordinating all aspects of U.S. policies towards Afghanistan. The third is to propose an international mandate to formulate a new unified strategy to stabilize Afghanistan over the next five years and to build international support for it.