By ROLAND PARIS
CIPS Policy Brief No. 2, February 2009

  • The Obama Administration appears to be scaling back objectives and expectations for the international mission in Afghanistan, while simultaneously increasing its commitment of resources to the operation.
  • The window of opportunity for expansive nation building in Afghanistan has closed. Deteriorating security conditions and declining public support for the international mission require a more focused, modest set of goals.
  • Canada should wait until the details of the new Administration’s policy are known before making a final decision on post-2011 Canadian involvement in Afghanistan.

Full text (pdf)

Roland Paris is Director of CIPS and Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.

This publication is part of the project on Afghanistan: Can a Sustainable Outcome Be Achieved?