The Case for Deeper U.S. Engagement with Afghanistan
In the nearly five years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the takeover by the Taliban, America has limited its engagement with the Afghan regime to securing the release of detainees and pursuing modest counter-terrorism cooperation. Kuchins proposes a pragmatic, step-by-step approach to interacting with officials in Kabul that could—in parallel with substantive collaboration that advances important U.S. national interests—eventually lead to removal of U.S. sanctions and Washington’s diplomatic recognition of Afghanistan. The proposal is not naive about the Taliban or about the challenges in pursuing such a policy; on the contrary, it reflects realistic thinking about American interests and objectives in an era of intensifying geopolitical and geo-economic competition.
Washington’s disinterest in Afghanistan following the Soviet Union’s withdrawal, during an earlier period of Taliban rule, contributed to the success of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. In addition to U.S. and allied expenditures of lives, money, and other resources, and mixed results for Afghanistan and its people, America’s subsequent long and costly war there was a dangerous distraction from greater strategic priorities. America today should strive to avoid the extremes of neglect and over-commitment and to work with allies and partners, notably in Central Asia, in pursuit of national interests. Those include counter-terrorism, regional stability, economic development, and new supply chains for critical minerals. This new paper outlines a path toward advancing those interests.
About the Author:
Dr. Andrew C. Kuchins is a senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest and an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. For more than 35 years he has been a widely renowned expert on Russia and Eurasia. He has previously served as the President of the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, directed the Russia and Eurasia Programs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and the Carnegie Moscow Center as well as held research and teaching positions at Georgetown Stanford, and UC Berkeley. He is the author and editor of six books and more than 100 articles, reports, book chapters on the region and U.S. policy.