Gen. Clark On Winning in Afghanistan

09/27/2006

Dear Editor,

Click below to read General Clark’s article on Afghanistan
http://securingamerica.com/node/1533

This week, Newsweek International has dedicated its cover package to the precarious state of the rebuilding process in Afghanistan. General Clark is among the contributors to this important look at the increasingly unstable situation on the ground in this country, and he draws on his considerable experience as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander to assess the state of the mission and lay out what we need to do to secure victory. Here’s a sample:

And make no mistake: we are not winning. Instead, we are at a crossroads. If we persist in failing to face up to the profound economic and political requirements, if we neglect the need for strong coordination, if we think the mission is only about counterterrorism or counterdrug operations, then we will lose. In order to succeed we must adopt some of the lessons and practices we put in place so painfully in the Balkans. We must acknowledge the magnitude of the task and pull in the full authority of the international community. NATO can do much more than just supply troops. We need to acknowledge that, yes, we do nation-building.

I hope you’ll visit SecuringAmerica.com to read the full article, as General Clark explains the important steps that were taken in previous, successful NATO initiatives and explores the steps that must be taken to turn things around in Afghanistan and put our mission there back on the right track. 

Sincerely,

Catherine Grunden
Executive Director
WesPAC—Securing America’s Future